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Charles Leclerc gave a hilarious reply when asked about his jealousy of Lewis Hamilton's old bond with Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur. The seven-time world champion will join the Italian giants in 2025.
There is no doubt that Leclerc will have one of the strongest teammates in 2025. Before the 2024 F1 season, Ferrari announced that they had hired Hamilton for 2025 and beyond. This was massive news since the driver's name was synonymous with Mercedes since they won many F1 world titles together.
In a recent interview, during Festival dello Sport in Italy, Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc were asked various questions about the team's future. When the topic of Hamilton came up, the interviewer asked whether he felt jealous of the seven-time world champion.
To this, Leclerc hilariously said that Vasseur was not his girlfriend and there was no jealousy between the two. He then praised Hamilton and was eager to work with him and learn from him.
"But Fred is not my girlfriend! But I knew about the negotiations with Lewis and for me having him will be a further challenge with everything he has won. I am very happy that Hamilton is coming and I can't wait because you can learn from every teammate. For me it will also be a great opportunity to show what I can do in the car," Leclerc said.
"But I have also always had an excellent relationship with Carlos. With Lewis I will certainly clear up some doubts about certain things. He can do my look, he will continue with his interesting styles," he added.
Lewis Hamilton worked with Vasseur when the latter managed the ASM Formula 3 team in the F3 Euro Series. In that series, the Brit dominated the championship in 2005.
Hamilton then progressed into GP2 (now F2) and clinched the championship with ART Grand Prix, a team founded by Vasseur. Hence, they go way back when it comes to working in motorsports.
Frederic Vasseur on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's eventual partnership and its future
In the aforementioned interview, Frederic Vasseur talked about how Lewis Hamilton always had Ferrari in his sights. He also made it clear that the Brit was not arriving at the Italian team to rest and relax, but rather to win races and hopefully, championships.
"It wasn't difficult actually, Ferrari in some ways was always in his thoughts and now the stars have aligned. But he comes to win, not on holiday. And I'm convinced that we have everything to try," Vasseur said.
Lewis Hamilton still sits at seven drivers' world championships, which equals his tally to Ferrari's Michael Schumacher. He will be trying his best to win his record-breaking eighth before retiring.
