Leclerc speaks out for the first time since shocking Ferrari news Hamilton

Charles Leclerc has spoken out for the first time since news of Lewis Hamilton's future move to Ferrari completely rocked the Formula 1 world. Without speaking specifically about the move, Leclerc has already fired a warning to his future teammate.

Whereas this time of year normally means the calm before the storm, it has been raining shocking news stories in the F1 world lately. Currently, the talk of the day centres on the investigation into Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, but not long before that, it was Hamilton who triggered an earthquake when it was announced that he is leaving Mercedes for the Scuderia in 2025.

Leclerc fires warning at Hamilton

Without commenting specifically on the news about Hamilton, Leclerc does indicate in advance that he does not want to play second fiddle. "To win the championship, this is the only target I have. I'm only happy when I win, second place is not my target," the 26-year-old Monegasque is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. He does add a sidenote: "You need to give yourself realistic targets as well, as much as we are always optimistic and try to do the best job possible."

For the 2024 F1 season, Leclerc is looking mainly at Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. "We all want to win but looking at where we are starting from from last year, Red Bull had a big advantage. So now we need to close the gap as much as possible. So we will do absolutely everything to try and, and do the step that, that is our goal in order to challenge."

Leclerc has special relationship with Sainz

Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are entering their fourth and final season as teammates at Ferrari. "We have a very special relationship. I mean, we are obviously friends outside the track as well. We are sharing good moments. We spend so much time. I mean, I see Carlos more than my own family because we've got 24 races now," Leclerc said.