Leclerc hopes new engineers will join Ferrari following Hamilton's deal

Team boss Frederic Vasseur has been at the helm of the Maranello-based team since January 2023 and made changes to his staff members. That is still ongoing and possibly Hamilton's arrival will help, Leclerc believes.

When the 26-year-old driver was asked by the Italian branch of Motorsport.com if Hamilton's announcement had any influence on his view of the team in terms of the future, he replied: "It was reassuring because, of course, roping in a driver like Lewis Hamilton is a strong signal. I saw it as a positive choice, starting with the fact that Lewis could facilitate the arrival of very talented people to the team."

Sainz leaves

On the other hand, Carlos Sainz had to look for a new employer (Williams) after four seasons in red. Leclerc is "naturally" happy to have Hamilton as a new teammate. "But I would like to say that I am very happy with the way I worked with Carlos. He is an incredible driver and we overcame some very difficult moments during our time at Ferrari. And it is also thanks to his contribution that we are getting better, we have always worked well together."

Leclerc is on 177 points after 14 Grands Prix, good for third in the world championship. Carlos Sainz is in fifth place with 162 points. That is still better than Lewis Hamilton (150 points), despite the Briton having already won two GPs.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton