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Charles Leclerc says Lewis Hamilton’s approach, rather than his driving style, has made him so successful in the sport. The two drivers have been teammates for just over a year at Ferrari.
Leclerc doesn’t appear to be facing the peak version of Hamilton, who turned 40 before the start of their partnership. Last year, the Monegasque scored all seven of Ferrari’s podiums and over 60% of their points.
But Leclerc has still taken the opportunity to learn from Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history and also the second-most experienced. The British driver has been a closer match for his teammate at the start of 2026.
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Charles Leclerc has ‘analysed every single thing’ about Lewis Hamilton
In an interview with Sky Sports at the Miami Grand Prix, Leclerc said he saw Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari as a ‘huge opportunity’. He has studied the former Mercedes driver intently.
While Hamilton’s telemetry and onboard footage is helpful at times, he sets an even bigger example outside the car.
Indeed, it was at the Miami GP last year that Max Verstappen praised Hamilton for arriving first at the circuit. He regularly works longer shifts than the rest of the grid.
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“Since the day Lewis arrived in the team, for me it was a huge opportunity to learn from him, so I analysed every single thing he does as a preparation, all the way to when he jumps into the car,” said Leclerc.
“I would say the driving, we’ve got our own strengths. Sometimes I will look at him on a particular corner, but that’s more specific, track-to-track.
“I think the approach is what’s made him have all the success he had in the past.”
Naomi Schiff reveals what Charles Leclerc said about Lewis Hamilton in unbroadcast footage
Sky interviewer Naomi Schiff said Leclerc also emphasised the ‘competitive’ dimension of his relationship with Hamilton in unbroadcast answers from the interview.
Leclerc and Hamilton served up some thrilling racing at the Chinese GP last month in what was arguably the highlight of F1’s new era so far. Their relationship remains healthy despite the intensity of those battles.
“I got to sit with him for 20 minutes and we squeezed it into five minutes of video there,” said Schiff. “He did really elaborate on how competitive the two of them are.
“Even though they have this good chemistry and they still play chess virtually with each other in their off time, they are still so competitive. We’ve seen it on track this year. When the helmets come on, there’s no love lost between the two of them.
“That’s the most important thing, but it’s a great thing to have Lewis as an example.”
Last year, Hamilton said the surprisingly large deficit to Leclerc was partly down to his lack of input in car development.
However, Fred Vasseur says Hamilton had a say in key design choices during the development of the SF-26.
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