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• Leclerc excited by 'motivation' Hamilton's arrival will bring to Ferrari

  Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc thinks that the arrival of Lewis Hamilton can help take both the team and himself to another level.

  At the start of the 2024 season, Ferrari shocked Formula One by announcing that Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz and be joining for the following campaign.

  His impending arrival is something that Leclerc is clearly excited about, as he explained in an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast.

  “When a champion like Lewis gets to any team, it brings a lot of motivation out of every single person,” Leclerc said.

  “He will come along with all the experience that he's had over the years with Mercedes – a different way of working, a different vision – and this is always benefitting a team.”

  Hamilton is a seven-time Drivers’ Championship winner with his last title coming in 2020, meaning he is level in the all-time standings with Michael Schumacher, while he also holds the F1 record for the most race wins ever (105).

  Understandably, Leclerc is looking forward to being able to measure his own performance against a strong yardstick.

  “Obviously for me it's going to be amazing because I’ll have, in the same car as me, the most successful driver in F1 history,” he said.

  “That will be both extremely interesting for me to learn from one of the best ever, as well as a really big challenge and motivation to beat Lewis and to show what I'm capable of.

  “With Lewis joining the team, he will definitely be a benchmark so it will be very important for me to be on my top level.”

  On a personal level, Hamilton’s arrival will spell an end to the four-year period that Leclerc and Sainz have been together at Ferrari.

  Leclerc was reflective about the relationship the pair have had while racing together, with Sainz set to join Williams in 2025.

  While they have a good personal relationship, Leclerc said that it has not always gone smoothly.

  “I think we get on very, very well,” he said.

  “Yes, there have been many moments where, inside the helmet, I hated him and he hated me, because we didn't view the situation in the same way.

  “But everything was fixed after a discussion between us two. We share many interests and we’ve had a lot of memorable moments that I will remember forever.”

• Szczesny refuses to quit smoking after joining Barcelona

  Experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has said that he will not quit smoking despite having gone back on his decision to retire from football to join Barcelona.

  With Marc-Andre ter Stegen having suffered a serious knee injury last month, which will keep him out for a long period of time, Szczesny was persuaded to get back into football having left Juventus in August.

  But the goalkeeper is of the opinion that what he does off the pitch in his personal life should be of no interest to anyone.

  "There are things that I don't change in my personal life," said Szczesny in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.

  "It's nobody's business if I smoke. I believe it doesn't affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard."

  Szczesny did admit that, while he has no intention of stopping, there are certain boundaries he puts in place.

  "I don't do it in front of kids because I don't want to have a bad influence on them," he said.

  Despite that, he went on to make it clear that he won't be put off by people trying to catch him out with it.

  "Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that's on them, not on me.

  "If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I've been this way my whole life."

• 'I'd like to return to Barca' - Iniesta confirms plans to go into coaching

  Andres Iniesta says he is turning his attention to coaching and would like to return to Barcelona in the future after announcing his retirement.

  The 40-year-old most recently played for UAE Pro League club Emirates but chose not to extend his contract to 2025.

  Iniesta made 674 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, the fourth-most in the history of the club, before leaving to join Vissel Kobe in 2018.

  The former Spain midfielder initially joined the club aged 12, making his senior debut in 2002, and going on to enjoy a trophy-laden career with the Spanish giants, including winning nine LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.

  Iniesta went unbeaten for 55 games for Barcelona in LaLiga between September 2010 and April 2012 (W47 D8), the longest run of any player in the history of the competition. 

  He was also an integral part of Barcelona's two treble-winning seasons in 2009 and 2015, with the club hosting his retirement event on Tuesday to mark the end of his career.

  During the event, Iniesta revealed that he had already started making plans for his career off the pitch.

  "I already starting the coaching course," Iniesta said. "I want to train myself for this next stage.

  "Those of you who know me know that I am quite stubborn in that sense, to do a great job. It won't be behind the ball but in another place.

  "I'd like to return to Barca at some point. Not just to say it, but because those who had so much influence, in one way or another, have to be there.

  "When I can do what I did as a player in another role at the club, I'd be delighted."