In a recent interview for Style Magazine, 20-year-old Monégasque racing driver Charles Leclerc talked about what Ferrari means to him, his relationship with Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso:
On Ferrari and what it represents for him: “At the age of three, I was watching the races and looking for the red car. Ferrari is a dream for all drivers, even for those who don‘t admit it.”
On Max Verstappen: “In 2015 Max was already in F1 while it took me 3 more years. After karting we took different paths: he in F3 and I in Formula Renault. I am very happy with the path I took and I have to say that Max gave me a boost: the fact that he was strong in F1 motivated me. In the past we had some disagreements. It’s true, in the karting years there were some problems due to some accidents. Today I can’t say that we have an excellent relationship but the truth is that I’m not in F1 to make friends. I can say that my best friends among the drivers are Ocon and Gasly, because I’ve known them since I was five years old. On the track, however, there are no personal relationships.”
On Fernando Alonso: “Having the chance to compete with people like him (Alonso) means learning at twice the speed. But the truth is, I have no idols among the drivers with whom I compete: the only one has always been Ayrton Senna.”