diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/clients.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/clients.ts
index 2104b534cd0..4e824a46b4a 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/clients.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/clients.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type {
-  GetPublicClientReturnType,
+  PublicClientType,
   GetWalletClientReturnType,
   TestClient,
 } from "../types.js";
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export async function getPublicClient<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
   provider: EthereumProvider,
   chainType: ChainTypeT,
   publicClientConfig?: Partial<ViemPublicClientConfig>,
-): Promise<GetPublicClientReturnType<ChainTypeT>> {
+): Promise<PublicClientType<ChainTypeT>> {
   const chain =
     publicClientConfig?.chain ?? (await getChain(provider, chainType));
   const { defaultClientParams, defaultTransportParams } =
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export async function getPublicClient<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
 
   /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/consistent-type-assertions --
   We need to assert the type because TS gets confused with the conditional type */
-  return publicClient as GetPublicClientReturnType<ChainTypeT>;
+  return publicClient as PublicClientType<ChainTypeT>;
 }
 
 export async function getWalletClients<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/contracts.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/contracts.ts
index ca1e49c01ab..851abd618b4 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/contracts.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/contracts.ts
@@ -19,11 +19,12 @@ import { resolveLinkedBytecode } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/bytecode";
 import { ensureError } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-utils/error";
 import { getContractAddress, getContract } from "viem";
 
-import { getDefaultWalletClient, getPublicClient } from "./clients.js";
+import { getDefaultWalletClient } from "./clients.js";
 
 export async function deployContract<ContractName extends string>(
   provider: EthereumProvider,
   artifactManager: ArtifactManager,
+  defaultPublicClient: PublicClient,
   contractName: ContractName,
   constructorArgs: unknown[] = [],
   deployContractConfig: DeployContractConfig = {},
@@ -53,8 +54,8 @@ export async function deployContract<ContractName extends string>(
     );
   }
 
-  const [publicClient, walletClient, { abi, bytecode }] = await Promise.all([
-    client?.public ?? getPublicClient(provider, "l1"),
+  const publicClient = client?.public ?? defaultPublicClient;
+  const [walletClient, { abi, bytecode }] = await Promise.all([
     client?.wallet ?? getDefaultWalletClient(provider, "l1"),
     getContractAbiAndBytecode(artifactManager, contractName, libraries),
   ]);
@@ -113,6 +114,7 @@ export async function deployContract<ContractName extends string>(
 export async function sendDeploymentTransaction<ContractName extends string>(
   provider: EthereumProvider,
   artifactManager: ArtifactManager,
+  defaultPublicClient: PublicClient,
   contractName: ContractName,
   constructorArgs: unknown[] = [],
   sendDeploymentTransactionConfig: SendDeploymentTransactionConfig = {},
@@ -125,8 +127,8 @@ export async function sendDeploymentTransaction<ContractName extends string>(
     libraries = {},
     ...deployContractParameters
   } = sendDeploymentTransactionConfig;
-  const [publicClient, walletClient, { abi, bytecode }] = await Promise.all([
-    client?.public ?? getPublicClient(provider, "l1"),
+  const publicClient = client?.public ?? defaultPublicClient;
+  const [walletClient, { abi, bytecode }] = await Promise.all([
     client?.wallet ?? getDefaultWalletClient(provider, "l1"),
     getContractAbiAndBytecode(artifactManager, contractName, libraries),
   ]);
@@ -176,12 +178,14 @@ export async function sendDeploymentTransaction<ContractName extends string>(
 export async function getContractAt<ContractName extends string>(
   provider: EthereumProvider,
   artifactManager: ArtifactManager,
+  defaultPublicClient: PublicClient,
   contractName: ContractName,
   address: ViemAddress,
   getContractAtConfig: GetContractAtConfig = {},
 ): Promise<ContractReturnType<ContractName>> {
-  const [publicClient, walletClient, artifact] = await Promise.all([
-    getContractAtConfig.client?.public ?? getPublicClient(provider, "l1"),
+  const publicClient =
+    getContractAtConfig.client?.public ?? defaultPublicClient;
+  const [walletClient, artifact] = await Promise.all([
     getContractAtConfig.client?.wallet ??
       getDefaultWalletClient(provider, "l1"),
     artifactManager.readArtifact(contractName),
diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/hook-handlers/network.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/hook-handlers/network.ts
index d502166d4db..9f3d0945c19 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/hook-handlers/network.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/hook-handlers/network.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export default async (): Promise<Partial<NetworkHooks>> => {
     ) {
       const connection: NetworkConnection<ChainTypeT> = await next(context);
 
-      connection.viem = initializeViem(
+      connection.viem = await initializeViem(
         connection.chainType,
         connection.provider,
         context.artifacts,
diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/initialization.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/initialization.ts
index dd009e7fe9d..4490813d3c4 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/initialization.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/internal/initialization.ts
@@ -15,12 +15,16 @@ import {
   sendDeploymentTransaction,
 } from "./contracts.js";
 
-export function initializeViem<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
+export async function initializeViem<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
   chainType: ChainTypeT,
   provider: EthereumProvider,
   artifactManager: ArtifactManager,
-): HardhatViemHelpers<ChainTypeT> {
+): Promise<HardhatViemHelpers<ChainTypeT>> {
+  const defaultPublicClient = await getPublicClient(provider, chainType);
+
   return {
+    publicClient: defaultPublicClient,
+
     getPublicClient: (publicClientConfig) =>
       getPublicClient(provider, chainType, publicClientConfig),
 
@@ -37,6 +41,7 @@ export function initializeViem<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
       deployContract(
         provider,
         artifactManager,
+        defaultPublicClient,
         contractName,
         constructorArgs,
         deployContractConfig,
@@ -50,6 +55,7 @@ export function initializeViem<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
       sendDeploymentTransaction(
         provider,
         artifactManager,
+        defaultPublicClient,
         contractName,
         constructorArgs,
         sendDeploymentTransactionConfig,
@@ -59,6 +65,7 @@ export function initializeViem<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string>(
       getContractAt(
         provider,
         artifactManager,
+        defaultPublicClient,
         contractName,
         address,
         getContractAtConfig,
diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/types.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/types.ts
index 09fda4b19de..478cc87e37b 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/types.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/src/types.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import type {
 export interface HardhatViemHelpers<
   ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string = DefaultChainType,
 > {
+  publicClient: PublicClientType<ChainTypeT>;
+
   /**
    * Creates a public client configured with the provided settings.
    *
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ export interface HardhatViemHelpers<
    */
   getPublicClient: (
     publicClientConfig?: Partial<ViemPublicClientConfig>,
-  ) => Promise<GetPublicClientReturnType<ChainTypeT>>;
+  ) => Promise<PublicClientType<ChainTypeT>>;
   /**
    * Creates a wallet client configured with the provided settings for each
    * account in the provider.
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@ export interface HardhatViemHelpers<
   ) => Promise<ContractReturnType<ContractName>>;
 }
 
-export type GetPublicClientReturnType<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string> =
+export type PublicClientType<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string> =
   ChainTypeT extends "optimism" ? OpPublicClient : PublicClient;
 
 export type GetWalletClientReturnType<ChainTypeT extends ChainType | string> =
diff --git a/v-next/hardhat-viem/test/hook-handlers/network.ts b/v-next/hardhat-viem/test/hook-handlers/network.ts
index f38cd0d96c7..85385a7a903 100644
--- a/v-next/hardhat-viem/test/hook-handlers/network.ts
+++ b/v-next/hardhat-viem/test/hook-handlers/network.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@ describe("hook-handlers/network", () => {
 
     it("should be extended with viem", () => {
       assert.ok(isObject(connection.viem), "viem should be defined");
-
+      assert.ok(
+        isObject(connection.viem.publicClient),
+        "viem should have publicClient object",
+      );
       assert.ok(
         typeof connection.viem.getPublicClient === "function",
         "viem should have a getPublicClient function",