Lewis Hamilton makes his feelings known about having Charles Leclerc as a challenger at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton is well aware of the challenge he faces at Ferrari from Charles Leclerc, as the 7x champion recognizes that he's already working from a deficit. Hamilton shocked the F1 world last season when he announced that he was moving to the Italian marque from Mercedes.

The decision was taken after the driver spent the last couple of seasons in 2022 and 2023 struggling to get anywhere close to a title. It was during this time that the driver took a call that it was the right time to make that change.

While Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari, he's doing it at almost the perfect time. The team does not appear to have too many political constraints attached to it. At the same time, the team boss, Fred Vasseur, is a no-nonsense character and very efficient in the manner in which he conducts business.

There is, however, one major challenge for Lewis Hamilton, and that challenge would come from none other than his teammate Charles Leclerc. The 7x F1 world champion is going to a team that has been molded around the 27-year-old driver. Leclerc has been a part of the squad since 2019, and he has taken over the role of a team leader in the last few years.

To add to this, at 40 years of age, Lewis Hamilton is not in his prime, which works further in favor of Leclerc. Talking to ESPN, the 7x world champion acknowledged the challenges he faced as he said:

"We've got a great relationship and I'm just trying to observe how he works. He's very, very professional. He's clearly well-loved within this team and well embedded in this team. He jumps in the car and he's on it straightaway. He's very fast, and I'm completely aware of that. You've seen his qualifying laps that he's put in. He's put great races together. He's only 27. He's very mature for a 27-year-old, I think probably more mature than I was when I was 27."

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Lewis Hamilton not looking at his 8th title

Lewis Hamilton was also quite firm when it came to his approach at Ferrari. The driver is targetting an 8th title but he made sure to point that the record was not the front and center for him. He's trying to get his first triumph at the Italian team and that is the most important thing for him at this stage.

"It is not going to be easy to beat him, naturally, but we'll work together and we'll collaborate to make sure the car and the team can move forwards in the right way. And we're going to have some great races, I hope," he said (via ESPN).

Lewis Hamilton is tied with Michael Schumacher at 7 World championships. If the driver does end up winning an 8th, it would make him the sole most successful driver in F1 history.