Leclerc: 'In this sport you learn something new every time you put your helmet on'

In the midst of a season in which Scuderia Ferrari finally seems to have found its way up the ladder again, with an improved car as well as a driver duo in top form, Charles Leclerc looks back on his start with the team as well as his first few Grands Prix in the premier class of motorsport.

In conversation with Speedweek the Monegasque states that he started his first few races in Formula 1 extremely intimidated by the fame of his competitors on the grid. Leclerc: "I was pretty intimidated on my first GP weekends. You have to imagine it, all of a sudden I was racing against drivers I had only admired on TV before. But then I said to myself: 'It can't go on like this!'"

"After a while I got used to racing against world champions and GP winners, and today I only think of the duel, not of what my opponent has already achieved", said the driver.

Focus on the details

Asked to assess his learning process from the moment he made the switch from Sauber to Ferrari, Leclerc replied as follows: " In my first year at Ferrari I felt how I was making steady progress and understanding the interrelationships better and better. After a while you finally feel that you have the situation under control."

"Since I came to Ferrari in 2019, I have gone through a maturation process as a person and as a racing driver", the Monegasque continued. "It's hard to say how much better I've become as a racer. Compared to before, I work in much more detail. It's a sport in which you learn something every time you put on your helmet."