Charles Leclerc: The Future of F1?
Driver Profile: Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is a Formula 1 driver born on October 16, 1997, in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He races for Scuderia Ferrari F1.
Early Career
Leclerc began his karting career in 2005, winning the French PACA Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008 before winning the French Cadet Championship the following year. From there, he earned recognition in the KF3 class before moving up to KF2 in 2012 with the factory-backed ART Grand Prix, where he won the WSK Euro Series. In his last year of karting in 2013, he finished second in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, behind Max Verstappen.
In 2014, Leclerc switched to open-wheel racing, driving for Fortec Motorsports in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps. In 2015, he made the step up to Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing, placing fourth in the standings. The following season, Leclerc joined ART and won three races en route to the championship.
Formula 2
Charles Leclerc’s outstanding performance earned him a promotion to Formula 2 with Prema Racing. He won pole in his first race in Bahrain; however, he only finished third. His performance set the tone for the rest of the season. He finished the season with eight pole positions and seven victories. At the age of 19, he became the youngest ever champion of the primary support series for Formula 1.
Formula 1 (2018 – Present)
Leclerc debuted in Formula 1 in 2018 as a promising young driver who had won the GP3 and F2 championships back-to-back. His first stop would be Sauber, where he would make his debut at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix.
After a promising rookie season, he was promoted to Ferrari with Sebastian Vettel, replacing veteran Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari brought in Leclerc as a No. 2 driver, but he quickly shed that label. He immediately fought back against Vettel, finishing the season with more victories, poles, and points than the four-time World Champion.
In 2019, Charles became the youngest and first non-Mercedes driver to win the Pole Trophy in Formula One with seven pole positions.
Leclerc is humble and thoughtful off the track, but he is on his mission in the car. This promising young driver is competing in memory of his late father Herve and his godfather Jules Bianchi. Jules Bianchi tragically lost his life to injuries he sustained at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
Away from the track, Leclerc is an avid gamer who competed in several esports competitions during the coronavirus pandemic’s early stages.
