Charles Leclerc has revealed he 'had discussions' with Lewis Hamilton immediately after it was announced he would be joining Ferrari in 2025.
The F1 offseason had been a quiet period up until the sudden announcement of Hamilton's shock agreement to end his Mercedes contract early to join Ferrari at the end of the season.
The seven-time world champion had flirted with the possibility of driving for Ferrari throughout his career, but it appeared as though that ship had sailed.
He repeatedly insinuated in recent years that he was looking to play out his final years in F1 with Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc knew of Lewis Hamilton's move before it was announced
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But an opportunity clearly rose in the winter period with Hamilton and Ferrari reaching a shock agreement on a 'multiyear contract'.
Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz from next season and drive alongside Leclerc to form one of F1's biggest superteams in history.
Ferrari officially unveiled their SF-24 for the new season on Tuesday and Leclerc was asked about his new team-mate for the 2025 season.
And Leclerc has revealed he wasn't as surprised by the news of Hamilton's move as he had already been told before he signed his new long-term contract.
“This kind of deal is not finalised overnight, and I was aware of those discussions (with Hamilton) before I signed my deal so it did not come as a surprise,” Leclerc said.
“Obviously, Lewis is an incredible driver, the most successful in history, and he brings a lot of experience to the team.
“I had discussions with Lewis, especially when everything was announced and official. We texted each other.
“He is a great champion with so much success.
Lewis Hamilton has spoken with Charles Leclerc already
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"It is always interesting to have a new team-mate, because you learn different ways of driving and working, and even more so when my new team-mate is a seven-time world champion.”
While Hamilton's imminent move to Ferrari is likely to provide a sub-plot to the 2024 season, Leclerc is solely focused on the year ahead for now.
The 26-year-old has been impressed with what he's seen from the new car already, but is reserving judgement until pre-season testing later this month.
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Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz
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“On the simulator, the feeling is good," Leclerc said.
"The car is definitely a step forward compared to last year.
“We’ve been focusing on the main weaknesses we had last year, as we do every year.
“For now, the car in the simulator has been reacting extremely well, but there’s obviously another important part to all of this - how much it correlates to the real car once we put it in Bahrain for the first time on the track.”
