Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc looked back on a past meeting with the biggest driver in the history of the Maranello team, Michael Schumacher.
Charles Leclerc was just three years old when the German secured his maiden Formula 1 championship with the Italian side, but taking into consideration Michael’s long-term series of impressive results with Scuderia Ferrari, the image of Schumacher in a red car clearly represented an early memory in the young life of the Monégasque.
Similarly to several current Formula 1 drivers, Michael Schumacher has a special place in Charles Leclerc’s heart and despite the fact that the Monegasque has stated several times that Ayrton Senna was his idol, he did list Michael Schumacher as one of his all-time favourites.
Charles Leclerc now has the difficult task of attempting to replicate at least part of the triumphs of Michael Schumacher. Since the German driver left Ferrari, only Kimi Räikkönen managed to win the World Championship for the Italian side, as the Finnish driver won the title in 2007 following a dramatic final round of the season.
Before the start of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, in which Charles Leclerc hopes to challenge Max Verstappen for the world title, the Monegasque has recalled the first time he met the Formula 1 icon:
“One day when I was karting, Michael Schumacher was doing some Formula 1 test,” he said in a recent biography about him called Le Prodige. “It was a really special moment. I remember entering the paddock and we had the chance to meet him, it was very exciting. Fortunately there was not a lot of people, so he took some time to talk to us. He signed our suits, talked with us before going back to his garage. It was really sweet and I was very impressed. I don’t even remember what we were talking about because all I could focus on was his red suit. I never thought I would one day drive for the red team.” – Charles remembered.
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A few weeks ago, the Monegasque got the chance to get behind the wheel of the Ferrari F2003 which helped Michael Schumacher win his sixth Formula 1 world championship. Charles Leclerc drove the F2003 at the Yas Marina circuit and tweeted “what a day” while also posting on-board footage of him behind the wheel.
Another memory recounted by the current Ferrari man in the biography is the first time he visited Maranello, the headquarters of Ferrari. Despite the fact that the young Monegasque was not able to actually enter the factory, the moment was still enough to leave a long-lasting impression.
“My first memory of Maranello was with Jules [Bianchi].” – Charles Leclerc explained regarding his friend who tragically lost his life in 8 years ago after an incident in the Japanese Grand Prix which took place the previous year – “He had a photoshoot and he tried to make me come inside with him but it didn’t work, so I had to wait outside. But it was then when I realised that the whole town was dedicated to Ferrari. I sat outside, in the parking lot for two hours, trying to imagine what the inside of the building looked like. In my head I was picturing something like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the Oompa Loompas running around.” – the Ferrari driver concluded.
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