Leclerc reveals what he would 'steal' from Hamilton

Charles Leclerc has expressed an admiration for Lewis Hamilton's unflinching reliability, hailing the five-time world champion's constancy as the attribute he would most like to emulate.

Hamilton has won four of the last five world drivers' championships as Mercedes have dominated Formula 1's V6 Hybrid era and a fifth in six – and sixth overall – is on the cards in 2019 as he is 62 points clear in the summer break.

Ferrari had been tipped to impress after adding Leclerc alongside Sebastian Vettel, but Hamilton's ruthlessness has put the Scuderia to the sword yet again.

Asked which qualities he would take from Hamilton, Leclerc told Corriere della Sera: "Consistency. The ability to always know how to reach the maximum. Mental strength.

"Everyone can make a good lap, the difference is putting so many together in the moments that count. I'm training so much to succeed."

Leclerc missed out on securing his maiden grand prix win in Bahrain and Austria, first by engine failure and then by a superb fightback from Max Verstappen and, asked to rank his season to date, the 21-year-old expressed satisfaction.

"I find it hard to give myself a rating, but to be honest I'm happy," he said.

"It was not an easy challenge to join an important team in the second year of F1. I needed to adapt in the beginning, but I grew fast with the team. I must continue to focus on weaknesses and improve."

On how his life has changed since signing as a Ferrari driver, Leclerc added: "On a personal level: people recognize you around.

"From the professional point of view it pushes you to go beyond the limits, to take care of the details as much as possible."

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