Charles Leclerc described beating Lewis Hamilton as one of his “biggest” challenges but felt ready to do just that in 2025.

Much of the attention this season has been focused on the other side of the Ferrari garage but Leclerc believes he can beat both his new team-mate and the rest of the field on the way to the title.

Charles Leclerc ready for ultimate Lewis Hamilton Ferrari test

Usually the star of the show, Leclerc has been forced to play supporting actor somewhat in 2025 after Hamilton made his move across to Maranello.

But while Hamilton has been dominating the headlines, Leclerc is one of many title contenders this season and the 27-year-old described beating the seven-time World Champion as one of the biggest challenges of his career but one he backed himself to do.

“As a driver, I’ve got full trust in my ability,” he told media including PlanetF1.com. “But also, having said that, it’s very difficult for now because I haven’t had any comparison with Lewis in the same car at the same time.

“So I guess time will tell, but it’s definitely a huge challenge and probably one of the biggest of my career.

“He’s the most successful driver in Formula 1 and to have him as my teammate is a really, really big motivation for me to learn from him but also to show what I’m capable of and that motivates me. That motivates me a lot, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Another man standing in Leclerc’s way is reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen. The Ferrari driver has more experience than most in battling Verstappen having grown up in the karting world together but has yet to truly face him in a title battle.

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When asked if he would fare better than Lando Norris did, Leclerc believed battling Verstappen in F1 would be no different to doing so in any other series.

“Only when I’ll find myself in this position consistently, I’ll be able to say for sure,” Leclerc said of fighting Verstappen. “But I feel like I’m ready.

“Max is someone I’ve been fighting since forever, basically. So to fight him in Formula 1 is a different category, it’s for, obviously, a much bigger stake, but it’s not something I’m not used to.

“I feel ready, but I guess only time will tell them. Whenever I’ll find myself in that situation, we’ll see but, but I feel ready.”

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