Charles Leclerc is adamant that new team-mate Lewis Hamilton "will never lose it".
The Monegasque's claim comes amid questions from some voices in Formula 1 over whether the seven-time champion is still at the top of his game. The Brit is approaching his 40th birthday and will join Ferrari next month on the back of his worst drivers' championship finish ever.
Hamilton finished seventh, lower than ever before in his F1 career and 22 points behind George Russell. The latter also became the first team-mate to both out-score Hamilton and beat him in the qualifying head-to-head over the course of a season.
But the 39-year-old ended the year on a high with a stunning recovery drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Bad luck in qualifying meant he started 16th but he steered his Mercedes through the pack before completing a gorgeous last-lap overtake on Russell to finish fourth.
Reacting to what he had seen from his future Ferrari partner, Leclerc made clear his belief that he is going to be up against a very high-quality team-mate in 2025. He said: "I never have had doubt on that. Lewis is Lewis and will always remain Lewis.
"He's extremely talented - talent is probably not the word. He's a legend of our sport. He's never lost it and he will never lose it."
Hamilton was not able to drive for his new team in the post-season test as he is still contracted to Mercedes until the end of December. This week, he has been jetting around to say farewells to Mercedes staff and key sponsors, such as executives and workers at long-time principal partners Petronas, based in Malaysia.
Speaking to a crowd of around 3,000 at the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, he said: "To come here for the last time as a Mercedes driver has brought up a lot of emotions. It's obviously sad in one respect but also beautiful to be able to celebrate everything we've done together with our Petronas colleagues and the Malaysian fans.
"It is always so humbling to come here and see the support. It has grown over time and I've been thrilled to help with some of the amazing work Petronas has done in the community... To be part of a partnership between our team and Petronas that has been so successful, one of the greatest in the history of the sport, is something I am so proud of.
"To be part of a partnership between our team and Petronas that has been so successful, one of the greatest in the history of the sport, is something I am so proud of." Hamilton is also due to travel to the Mercedes-Benz HQ in Stuttgart, Germany, and will also visit staff at the team's bases in Brackley and Brixworth before he leaves.
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