Charles Leclerc (sharl LE-clerk; born 16 October 1997, Monte Carlo, Monaco) is a Monégasque professional racing driver, currently driving in the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship for Ferrari, after competing for Sauber in 2018.[2] A Ferrari Driver Academy member and reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion, Leclerc is one of the highest rated young drivers of the current era, who has previously tested for the Scuderia, Haas and 2018 employers Sauber.
Background
Edit
Leclerc began karting at the age of eight, taking six junior category titles in five seasons in France and Monaco. Leclerc would go one to finish as runner up to Max Verstappen in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship in 2013, his final year in go-karts. The Monégasque racer would also make a notable friendship with Jules Bianchi during his karting career.
The Single-Seater SprinterEdit
Leclerc would graduate to racing cars in 2014, entering the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps, ending the season as the Junior Champion and runner-up overall.[3] His efforts landed him a spot in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for 2015, taking three wins to finish fourth overall, behind Champion Lance Stroll.[4] The Monégasque was then moved into the GP3 Series for 2016, taking his first major title in a racing car at the end of the season with three victories.[5]
Leclerc's rapid ascent up the motorsport ladder continued into 2017, with the Monégasque racer joining fellow Ferrari Academy ace Antonio Fuoco in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.[6] It would be a masterful display from the youngster throughout the season, as Leclerc dominated qualifying throughout the first half of the season, taking five wins before the summer break.[6] A further two wins saw him end the season as Champion in his debut season in the series, putting him in prime position for a seat in Formula One.[6]
Leclerc's performance in 2017 was made all the more remarkable given the death of his father Hervé, whom had guided his career through until his Formula 3 debut.[7]
Formula One CareerEdit
Leclerc's first involvement with Formula One came in 2016, when the Monégasque racer was inducted into the Ferrari Driver Academy.[8] He would make his F1 testing debut with Ferrari customer team Haas F1, taking part in FP1 at the 2016 British Grand Prix, with further FP1 sessions given to him later in the season. Rumours soon abounded that Leclerc would join Haas in 2017, although the American outfit declared that the Monegasque racer would have to compete in Formula 2.
Sauber Star?Edit
Leclerc would indeed compete in F2 for 2017, although that would come alongside testing duties for Sauber. A single run-out in the full Ferrari car came at the 2017 Budapest Test, although Leclerc only completed one day of running.[9] However, that would prove to be enough for Sauber to sign the Monegasque racer for 2018, as they strengthened ties with engine suppliers Ferrari.[2]
Formula One Statistical OverviewEdit
Formula One RecordEdit
| Year | Entrant | Team | Pts | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Career | |||||
| 2016 - 2018 | Ferrari Driver Academy | ||||
| Senior Career | |||||
| 2016 |  Haas F1 Team
| Haas-Ferrari | Test Driver | ||
 Scuderia Ferrari
| Ferrari | ||||
| 2017 | Scuderia Ferrari
| Ferrari | Test Driver | ||
 Sauber F1 Team
| Sauber-Ferrari | ||||
| 2018 | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team
| Sauber-Ferrari | 39 | 13th | Report |
| 2019 | Scuderia Ferrari
| Ferrari | 221 | 3rd | Report |
Career StatisticsEdit
Correct as of the 2019 Russian Grand Prix
| Entries | 38 |
| Starts | 38 |
| Pole Positions | 6 |
| Front Row Starts | 6 |
| Race Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Points | 260 |
| Laps Raced | 1916 |
| Distance Raced | 9761 km (6065 mi) |
| Races Led | 7 |
| Laps Led | 226 |
| Distance Led | 1236 km (768 mi) |
| Doubles | 2 |
Race WinsEdit
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 2 | 2019 Italian Grand Prix |
Career ResultsEdit
| Complete Formula One results | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Pts | Pos |
| 2018 | 
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| 39 | 13th |
| 13th | 12th | 19th | 6th | 10th | 18th | 10th | 10th | 9th | Ret | 15th | Ret | Ret | 11th | 9th | 7th | Ret | Ret | 7th | 7th | 7th | |||
| 2019 |
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| 221 | 3rd |
| 5th | 3rd | 5th | 5th | 5th | Ret | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | Ret | 4th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 7th | |||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | DNS | Did not start | ||
| Italics | Scored point(s) for Fastest Lap | ||||
| [+] More Symbols | |||||
See AlsoEdit
- Charles Leclerc at the Formula Two Wiki.
ReferencesEdit
Images and Videos:
- ↑ 'Leclerc to use number 16 in Formula 1', gpupdate.net, (SportUpdate B.V., 05/12/2017), https://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/361624/leclerc-to-use-number-16-in-formula-1/, (Accessed 05/12/2017)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Sauber confirm Leclerc & Ericsson, as Alfa Romeo livery revealed', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 02/12/2017), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/12/sauber-confirm-leclerc---ericsson--as-alfa-romeo-livery-revealed.html, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ 'LECLERC TAKES ROOKIE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE', fotecmotorsports.com, (Fortec Motorsport, 08/10/2014), http://fortecmotorsports.com/leclerc-takes-rookie-championship-title/, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ Marcus Simmons, (14 January 2015). 'Nicolas Todt protege Charles Leclerc secures F3 deal for 2015', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 14/01/2015), https://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117356, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ Peter Allen, 'Leclerc is GP3 champion despite collision as De Vries wins', formulascout.com, (Formula Scout, 26/11/2016), http://www.formulascout.com/leclerc-is-gp3-champion-despite-collision-as-de-vries-wins/35825, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Alex Kalinauckas, 'Jerez F2: Leclerc crowned champion after crazy finish', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 07/10/2017), https://www.motorsport.com/fia-f2/news/jerez-f2-leclerc-crowned-champion-after-crazy-finish-962759/?s=1, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ 'HERVÉ LECLERC PASSES AWAY', cikfia.com, (CIK-FIA, 21/06/2017), http://www.cikfia.com/newsroom/view/article/herve-leclerc-passes-away.html, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ Valentin Khorounzhiy, 'Leclerc gets Ferrari and Haas development role', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 01/03/2016), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/leclerc-gets-ferrari-and-haas-development-role-676625/?s=1, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
- ↑ 'Leclerc heads day one of Budapest test for Ferrari', (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 01/08/2017), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/8/leclerc-heads-day-one-of-budapest-test.html, (Accessed 02/12/2017)
| V T E |  Scuderia Ferrari
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers 5.  Sebastian Vettel · 16.  Charles Leclerc
| |||
| Personnel Sergio Marchionne · Maurizio Arrivabene · James Allison · Jock Clear | |||
World Champions Alberto Ascari (1952, 1953) ·  Juan Manuel Fangio (1956) ·  Mike Hawthorn (1958) · Phil Hill (1961) · John Surtees (1964) ·  Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) ·  Jody Scheckter (1979) · Michael Schumacher (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) ·  Kimi Räikkönen (2007)
| |||
| Cars 125 · 275 · 340 · 625 · D50 · 246 · 256 · 312 · 312B · 156 · F1/86 · F1/87 · F1-2000 · F2001 · F2002 · F2003-GA · F2004 · F2005 · 248 F1 · F2007 · F2008 · F60 · F10 · 150° Italia · F2012 · F138 · F14 T · SF15-T · SF16-H · SF70H · SF71H · more... | |||
| V T E |  Sauber F1 Team
| |
|---|---|---|
| Former drivers Ericsson · Leclerc · Wehrlein · Nasr · Hülkenberg · Pérez · Kobayashi · Kubica · Heidfeld · Räikkönen · more | ||
| Former Personnel Frédéric Vasseur · Pascal Picci · Alex Sauber · Eric Gandelin · Timothée Guerin · Axel Kruse · Beat Zehnder | ||
| Engine Suppliers Ilmor (1993) · Mercedes (1994) · Ford (1995-96) · Petronas (1997-2005) · Ferrari (2010-2018) | ||
| Cars C12 · C13 · C14 · C15 · C16 · C17 · C18 · C19 · C20 · C21 · C22 · C23 · C24 · C29 · C30 · C31 · C32 · C33 · C34 · C35 · C36 · C37 | ||
| See also BMW Sauber · Alfa Romeo | ||
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