Lewis Hamilton says the work ethic of “Mr Ferrari” Charles Leclerc is what has surprised him most about his new Formula 1 team-mate at the Scuderia.

Hamilton’s blockbuster move from Mercedes to join Ferrari means he becomes Leclerc’s third team-mate in the Monegasque’s now seven-year stint in red – after Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

Both Hamilton and Sainz were asked to give their opinions on Leclerc in the pre-event press conference for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix – with how Ferrari’s new line-up ultimately compare set to be one of the biggest talking points of the new campaign.

After initially joking “beside his great hair?”, Hamilton said: “What surprised me most? Well, I would say work ethic. It’s been really good.

“I didn’t know [that before], you don’t know what happens behind closed doors.

“Naturally, I think every driver works really hard, but everyone has a different method and how they achieve that ultimate performance.

“And it’s been really interesting to see, his is not too dissimilar to mine. And you just see a hardworking kid, just getting on with it.

“He’s obviously been in the team a long time. It’s his second team – obviously the team he was with before was, was relatively short there, and then he’s had this amazing time at Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

“And so, he is very much Mr Ferrari and it’s been really cool to work alongside him and I’m really looking forward to working alongside him for the year.”

Sainz, who has moved to Williams for 2025 after being squeezed out of Ferrari by its deal with Hamilton, compared strongly against Leclerc in their four seasons as team-mates.

He suggested his former colleague is now hitting a high-point in his career – with Leclerc’s 2024 season considered by many F1 observers to be his best in the category to date.

It featured little in the way of the wild crashing that marred his early seasons and contained several impressive wins – particularly those at Monaco and Monza.

“I think no one needs to talk about his talent and his speed – everyone knows that,” Sainz said.

“I think he’s doing an incredible job and he’s part of that team growth that Ferrari has seen recently. And in that Ferrari has a great ambassador also. And also, good on him – good job.

“He’s been progressing both as a driver, but also as a human being all these years and he’s now probably in one of his sweetest spots of his career. He feels mature, comfortable and probably ready to win. So, let’s see what they can do this year.”

Photos from Australian GP – Thursday