Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc interview for La Gazette de Monaco, one of the oldest independent publications covering the political, economic, cultural and sporting news of the Principality .
Charles Leclerc about the start of the season: “I think that for all drivers, it will not be easy. Even if we all trained like never before during the lockdown, a muscle like that of the neck for example, it is a muscle that we only use when we are driving. You can do as many exercises as you want at home, it will never be the same as driving in F1. I expect it to be quite complicated when we restart, especially with the neck. It’s starting to be a bit long. It will be interesting to see when we start how the drivers will behave in the first race after such a long waiting time.”
Charles Leclerc about virtual racing: “It’s more to try to have fun and give something that looks like F1 to the fans even if it’s not the same as reality. This is the closest thing in a situation like this. On top of that, it’s always good to drive even if it’s only virtual. And that side is perhaps more visible when I play at home.”
Charles about streaming: “I don’t really play a role, it’s only me. I like it a lot, because it allows people to discover the real Charles. When I am in interview mode on the circuits, I am very serious. At home, I am also a normal 22 year old.”
About his friendship with George and Lando: “We have always been like that. Except it’s more private, so you don’t necessarily see it from the outside. By playing and streaming all together, people got a glimpse of the connections between us. We’ve all known each other from a very young age, we grew up together. We are close and we are also friends.”
About how he experienced the departure of Sebastian Vettel / signing of Carlos Sainz: “I was a little spectator of all this. Mattia called me the day before both announcements. As I have always said, I respect their decisions. In the end, it’s up to them to make choices and not me. I focus on what I have to do.”
You sort of become Ferrari’s number 1 from 2021. Doesn’t that put extra pressure on you?
Charles: “Personally I will not feel like that in 2021. I really think that Carlos is a great driver. I think he will prove it again like he has done in the past. It’s not as obvious as it should be, because right now Carlos has a slightly less competitive car, but he’s going to be very fast. I think it will be a great challenge for me, like every time you discover a new teammate.”
Are you going to miss Sebastian Vettel?
Charles: “He has helped me enormously. Again, it’s Ferrari’s decision. I was happy with Seb, he had a lot of experience and I learned a lot from him. It’s going to be different with Carlos. He’s a young driver, he wants to do well and it will be beautiful to see. I really think he can challenge me, he will be very fast.”
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