Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are the only Formula 1 drivers willing to do one ‘merciless’ thing

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Fred Vasseur worked with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc before he became Ferrari team principal. He started in the junior categories before making his name in F1’s midfield.

Vasseur was in charge of the ART GP2 team who hired Hamilton for the 2006 season. He went on to win the championship, forming a bond with the British driver that proved vital nearly 20 years later.

Hamilton, who had been part of the McLaren-Mercedes young driver programme since 1998, subsequently earned an F1 race seat with the Woking outfit. He was a world champion within two years.

Leclerc and Hamilton enjoyed the best F2 seasons ever, with the latter a fraction ahead. The Monegasque won the title in 2017, which prompted Ferrari to place him at Sauber.

It was there where he encountered Vasseur, who had recently joined from Renault. They worked together for a single year before Leclerc secured a swift promotion to the Ferrari works squad.

But when Mattia Binotto lost his job at the end of 2022, Ferrari turned to Vasseur to replace him. Now he’ll reunite with two of his old drivers in a Maranello superteam.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are ready to be self-critical after race wins

Speaking to Speedweek in 2022, while he was still working at Sauber, Vasseur identified the big similarity between Leclerc and Hamilton. And it could serve the Ferrari team well.

Vasseur said Leclerc reminded him of the seven-time world champion in that he’s willing to be self-critical after any ‘unsatisfactory’ performance – even if it ends in a race win. Their desire to improve is ‘relentless’.

It was another couple of years before Hamilton agreed to join Ferrari. But Vasseur’s comments suggest his partnership with Leclerc could be the ticket to ending a 17-year championship drought.

“I have only seen one [other] driver who is so merciless in his own judgment when he feels a performance was unsatisfactory – and that was Lewis Hamilton,” he said.

“Hamilton and Leclerc were the only two drivers I have seen in my career who were self-critical even after a victory. All other drivers would have patted themselves on the back. But these two knew that they should have driven better. And they addressed this relentlessly.”

Lewis Hamilton’s private message to Fred Vasseur before he joined Ferrari

Hamilton and Leclerc have already developed a rapport before their first race together in Melbourne. While at Mercedes, he was wary of speaking about Ferrari in detail, but they did discuss their mutual interests outside of racing.

F1 fans believe Ferrari have the best line-up on the grid, but there will be challenges for Vasseur too. Indeed, one pundit suggested Hamilton would insist on a no-team-orders clause in his contract.

Vasseur must also reignite a legendary driver who’s coming off the back of a worrying season. That may be as simple as providing him with a better car.

But it’s unclear how long he’ll need to rediscover his confidence. Privately, Hamilton has told Vasseur why he struggled in qualifying, and the Frenchman will be optimistic if he knows the source of the problem.