'Hello Lewis!': Did Charles LecLerc hinted on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari pivot? Old video resurfaces

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 World Champion stunned the whole auto racing community. One of the most exciting discoveries of 2024 thus far is the massive Hamilton disclosure, which occurred before the official start of the 2023 calendar year. Lewis is scheduled to compete in his last season with Mercedes this year. He will then join Ferrari for the next 2025 season. The acclaimed Formula One driver had accepted a contract extension with his present team, but the latest development is nothing short of astounding. 

3 Things you need to know

• Lewis Hamilton will become a part of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team next year
• Hamilton had signed a two-year extension with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
• Lewis moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 and has been with the Silver Arrows for 11 years

Also Read: Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes, unveils stunning move to Ferrari in 2025

Charles Leclerc's old press conference clip talking about Lewis Hamilton resurfaces  

The Hamilton move is indeed surprising, given that he signed a contract extension with the Mercedes AMG F1 team last year and reports that he was mulling a change to another team. One of the primary causes that fuelled the flames was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, whose hint appeared to be a forecast of the future. During a press conference at the Monaco Grand Prix in May last season, Leclerc was asked about rumours of a new Ferrari teammate. He smiled, turned to Hamilton across the couch, chuckled, and said, "Hello, Lewis."

“I mean, a fast teammate, as everybody. We are in Formula 1, and we love to be fighting against the best. But that’s not to say that my teammate is not fast. Carlos is an extremely fast driver. But yeah, considering that, I mean, I’m not the person who makes the choices. So yeah, let’s see,” Leclerc added.

Also Read: The power of Lewis Hamilton: News of F1 great's move sees Ferrari's market value rise by $4 billion

Formula One is all set to resume, and the competing teams will travel to Bahrain as pre-season testing begins on February 21. The first event, the Bahrain Grand Prix, will take place on March 2, 2024.