Charles Leclerc reached a historic milestone at Ferrari and admitted surprise upon discovering his place on the list of the most experienced drivers of the Italian team in Formula 1. The Monegasque has already competed in 154 GPs for the Scuderia and is now only behind Michael Schumacher in the internal ranking of the Maranello team.
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The Ferrari driver joined the main team in 2019, after spending several years integrated into the Ferrari Driver Academy. Since then, he has consolidated his trajectory as one of the main names on the grid and could surpass Schumacher’s record as early as next season, if he remains with the team.
When informed that he holds the second position on the list of drivers with the most races for Ferrari, Leclerc admitted that the situation seems unusual: “It’s strange,” he said in a conversation with the press. “I still feel very young and remember my first year at Ferrari as if it were yesterday, but it’s something special.”
The Monegasque highlighted the connection built with Ferrari even before his Formula 1 debut. According to him, the team followed not only his evolution as a driver but also his personal growth during the formative years within the young talent program.
“I love this team. I grew up within it even before being a Ferrari driver in Formula 1. I was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, so they saw me grow not only as a driver but also as a person. It’s a very special place to drive,” he said.
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Despite the impressive milestone, the driver made it clear that he does not see the numbers as his main motivation. Leclerc stated that his goal remains to win a world championship with Ferrari, something he considers more important than any participation record.
“I would not like to be remembered as the most experienced Ferrari driver. I would like to be remembered as a world champion for Ferrari, and that still needs to happen,” he declared. The Monegasque also revealed that he was not even aware of the statistic until he was asked about it.
Leclerc emphasized that all his work is directed towards the pursuit of the championship: “I’m not really thinking about becoming the first on this list, I just want to win a world championship, that’s what I’m working on every day and I hope that moment comes,” he added.
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