In a recent interview for Italian daily general-interest newspaper ‘la Repubblica’, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc discussed the Maranello team’s recent reliability issues, his prospects for the rest of the season and many off-track topics. Here are some of the most important comments from Charles, as reported by the Italian newspaper:
Did you already book for your summer holidays?
Charles Leclerc: “In Sardinia with my friends on my Riva boat. Then to Ibiza with the family, but I’m staying focused: gym and equipment within reach.”
You love fashion, when will you start your first clothing line?
Charles Leclerc: “I would like to do it in the future, it’s one of my passions, I think fashion is a means of expressing myself without talking. For now I am content to wear things I like. My mind is busy trying to win the championship.”
What did he buy with his first salary?
Charles Leclerc: “A 1969 Fiat 500, off-white, convertible. I didn’t have too much trouble driving it. Then I went to Indonesia to Bali with my best friends.”
You play the piano. If F1 were a musical genre, what would it be?
Charles Leclerc: “A very strange mixture of classical and rock and roll. I think it’s an exercise in adapting between the aggressiveness in qualifying and the smoothness in tyre management in the race. Playing helps me. I used to do it when I was a kid, my brother Arthur is very good, I started again during the pandemic by taking back the piano that was at my mother’s place.”
You have been given many nicknames, predestined, prince..
Charles Leclerc: “They are all positive and make me very happy, but the one I like best is the one my father gave me, pins à roulettes. When I started racing, I was 4-5 years old, I was all small and you could only see the big helmet.”
What are you like in your daily routine?
Charles Leclerc: “I have a routine: diet, gym, rest. Discipline is the biggest change I have made. In a year like this I want to be at 110% for 22 races. There will be 24 races? I will be even more in shape.”
You voiced a character in the Disney Pixar film, Lightyear – The True Story of Buzz. Do you feel like a superhero?
Charles Leclerc: “No. I feel like a normal person, even though I do a sport, I don’t call it work, very special which is not for everyone. I’m just lucky.”
In the film there is a kiss between two women that has created controversy, does that surprise you?
Charles Leclerc: “For me homosexuality is a completely normal thing, I have gay friends, I don’t understand how today there are people who don’t understand that love is for everyone. F1 has to give a hand to those who don’t have such a powerful voice to express difficulties in everyday life.”
What do you write in the notebooks you read during practice?
Charles Leclerc: “Everything: my feelings about the car and the things I want to try on the track. I get lots of ideas so I write them down so I don’t forget them. And I write them down in pen so I’m sure I can find them again, before I used to use an app on my tablet that often erased everything.”
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Do you envy Max Verstappen in any way?”
Charles Leclerc: “No and I don’t think he envies anything of me either. We are two different drivers. I focus on myself to be the best version of me, I’ll never be someone else. I’m happy with my development and will continue to evolve. I prepared better this year than in the past. A lot of simulator and at pre-season testing, I tried things that maybe didn’t make sense, but I didn’t want to neglect anything and be as ready as possible for the first race. I wanted to be where I am and give it my all. It paid off. These new cars are difficult to drive and the details to go strong have changed. All the drivers have made mistakes and it’s up to me to make as few as possible. I take risks, like at Imola. Even when it doesn’t show. I think it’s the right approach and so far I’m happy.”
Need more calm or a winning mentality?
Charles Leclerc: “Everyone has their own way of getting to things. For me calm and concentration are fundamental. And when there is an excess of emotions, it is important to return to your own bubble without being disturbed. I know what it means and what you feel when you win, it’s one of the few things that give me such great happiness. That’s what drives me to train every morning. This year we should have had more success than we have for the reasons we know, but I am sure it is only a matter of time to get back to where we want to be.”
Does reliability not worry you?
Charles Leclerc: “No, but a lot of attention is needed, the customer teams have had problems too. But I have faith in this team and once the problems are solved, pace and performance are there. I believe in it. I will never give up. That has always been my mentality. I want to win, the championship is long. We have to understand the problems we had, they were three hard knocks. Not an easy moment, but that doesn’t change my motivation.”
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