Charles Leclerc wouldn’t say no to Lewis Hamilton joining him at Ferrari for 2021.
Over the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, the prospect of the six-time Formula 1 champion wearing red appeared to increase after the Italian team admitted they were “happy” at his availability.
Reports emerged claiming contact had been made twice between Hamilton and chairman John Elkann, which the Briton didn’t deny, and now Leclerc, who would be his teammate if a move did happen, has welcomed the possibility.
“Well of course,” Leclerc said. “At the end, we are in Formula 1 and we want to fight against the best.
“I’ve had a big opportunity this year to have Seb [Vettel] next to me who is a four-time world champion and I’ve learned a lot from him and you can always learn from this type of champion so yeah, of course.”
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However, after former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone warned Hamilton against teaming up with the Monegasque, now ex-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore is pouring cold water on the idea.
“Hamilton is a great driver,” he was quoted by PlanetF1. “But I would wait because it seems Ferrari already has a driver of his worth [in Leclerc]
“Having two very valuable drivers in the same team can be a risk, as we saw this year with Vettel and Leclerc.
“Let’s not forget that in the past years, given the superiority of Mercedes, Hamilton was able to drive very relaxed, almost never making mistakes.”