Some at the team knew he was the man for the job, but Charles Leclerc's procurement of a seat relied on a neat bit of manoeuvring in order for their boss to agree to a deal.
We're not talking here about the delay that followed Sergio Marchionne's death before Leclerc gained a 2019 Ferrari Formula 1 drive, rather his maiden season of car racing in the '14 Formula Renault ALPS series.
Fortec Motorsport engineer Martin Young knew all about the talents of the 16-year-old Monegasque driver.
"My background is in karting," he explains. "I used to work for the factory teams in Italy. I knew the drivers to watch from karting would be Max Verstappen, Ben Barnicoat and Charles Leclerc, and Fortec wanted to run teams in Eurocup, NEC and ALPS."
It's worth explaining here that in those days Formula Renault 2.0 operated as a pyramid structure, with the Eurocup at the top, and the Dutch-promoted Northern European Cup and Italian-run ALPS series as the base. Fortec was already established in Eurocup and NEC, but was venturing into ALPS for the first time.
"At the time it looked like Verstappen would be doing Eurocup, and we had Ben signed for NEC," continues Young. "I spoke to Jamie Dye [Fortec managing director] and said that if we wanted to move forward in ALPS we needed to get Leclerc.
"We did a test day at Motorland [Aragon] and we sort of lied about his times - we'd put Charles up against a lot of experienced drivers, so he was 1.2-1.3 seconds off - so that Richard [Dutton, team principal] would stay interested in giving him a bit of a deal. Richard was asking, 'Is he really good?', and we said, 'Yeah, we know he's really good.'"
Barnicoat, now a factory McLaren GT racer, was already familiar with Leclerc - as a Racing Steps Foundation protege, he was part of the ART Grand Prix line-up in international karting in 2012 and '13, while Leclerc belonged (and still does) to the All Road Management stable of ART shareholder Nicolas Todt.
"I had two years as team-mate to him in karting," says Barnicoat. "The first year I was directly racing with him, and in the second he went into gearbox [KZ] karts. He was one of the best team-mates I ever had, if not the best. A great guy.
"That first year, Charles won the WSK series and I won the European championship - that was up against the likes of Verstappen, so the competition was extremely high. I feel sort of left out!
"He had a bit more track knowledge so in the first half of the year he was beating me, but then we pushed each other really hard and that worked for the team - we got a lot from that.
"Looking at how good he is, it's nice to know I beat him on occasions, to know that I had the talent and ability to do that."
Fortec was one of the teams that tested Verstappen, and was also eyeing a deal with another talented karter: George Russell, whose plan was to combine Renault ALPS with what was then BRDC Formula 4.
Russell, who now is on course to succeed Leclerc as Formula 2 champion, eventually joined Prema Powerteam for ALPS, but that deal fell over on the eve of the season and he secured a last-minute berth at Koiranen GP.
"We wanted George; we tried to sign him," says Dutton of what could have been a mighty line-up had Russell joined Leclerc. "But he signed for Prema and then [Lawrence] Stroll [who had taken a majority shareholding in Prema] stopped him from going there."
"Me and Charles were testing for Fortec," says Russell, "and at the same time Verstappen was there with Josef Kaufmann Racing, I think. We were in talks with Fortec, but we decided to sign with Prema."
When it's pointed out what a mega line-up that would have been alongside Leclerc, Russell laughs: "In hindsight that could have worked out better for me than Koiranen. That [the late Prema split] put us in the shit a little bit, and three weeks before the first race I didn't have a deal. We took the gamble on Koiranen."
Autosport reminds Dutton of an awards evening over the 2013-14 winter when, asked about Russell, he said: "We've got someone even better - a lad from Monaco..."
"It was really quite a late deal," recalls Dutton. "He missed most of the winter-test programme. But you just knew he was the real deal. In and out of the car he knew what he wanted. In lots of ways he reminded us of Verstappen when we tested him."
Young confirms that the sum total of Leclerc's pre-season mileage was four days at Aragon, and two at Barcelona, before going straight into the pre-weekend test for the Imola opener.
"The first three race weekends his experience was a bit low," says Young, "but as soon as he got on the podium he was there every weekend.
Leclerc went on to finish runner-up to the flying - and experienced - Nyck de Vries in the ALPS points, with two race wins at Monza under his belt, but perhaps the more impressive performances came in his three 'wildcard' outings in the Eurocup. The first was at Spa, one week before the Belgian track's ALPS round.
"He was 30th in qualifying at the Eurocup," says Dutton. "We changed everything - we couldn't understand what the hell was going on. One week later he qualified third for ALPS. That was really, really special."
In his next Eurocup outing, Leclerc took a fifth and a second at the Nurburgring, and in his final one he took a brace of seconds at the Hungaroring.
"I was looking after Matt Parry and Jack Aitken in Eurocup," says long-time Fortec driver coach Matt Howson. "I'd heard [Leclerc] was something maybe a bit special, but you hear that all the time, and wait until you see it yourself.
"Usually you understand the driving style straight away - what's good, what's bad - and the thing with Charles is it didn't matter whether there was understeer or oversteer, he seemed to deliver a lap time."
The cerebral approach of Leclerc and engineer Young frustrated Howson at the Nurburgring.
"He'd never seen the place, and there were only two 45-minute [test] sessions, and furthermore Martin was determined to try things on the car," says Howson.
"I said, 'Don't do it, leave him out'. He was last in the second session, and then he was P3 on the grid for the second race - that's unheard of in Eurocup [for a newcomer]. Renault is a very finicky formula, and it all has to come together to deliver results, but Charles seemed impervious to everything.
"Based on that first year, I knew he was a little bit special. Whenever he was tested in Eurocup, he defied his experience. That's a marker - that you can break all the accepted rules."
Talking about that Nurburgring episode, Young says: "That literally sums up Charles Leclerc. That year we were struggling in Eurocup, and I said I'd come in with Charles and we'd do some testing. Going into qualifying he'd never run new tyres, but he went from last to the front. Nothing ever fazed him."
In Young's view, he also compared favourably to Lando Norris, who tested FRenault cars with Fortec in 2014 before his first steps into single-seaters: "I worked with Lando towards the end of the year, and Lando eventually got to the same point [as Leclerc] but needed a lot of testing, but Charles could just get in and drive. It was second nature to him."
Russell took a distant fourth in the ALPS standings, although he did claim the 2014 BRDC F4 title.
"With Nyck winning the championship it didn't make any sense to me, but I think at the time there were a few dodgy chassis around," he says. "When I tested Nyck's car it was extremely different in terms of characteristics. I wasted a season there, but it was character-building."
He also suffered from chicken pox that caused him to miss the Monza round, where Leclerc took his two wins.
"I didn't think it affected me at the time, but I struggled a bit for no reason in the following few F4 races," says Russell. "It was quite severe - I've still got some bad scars. I put my family off their dinner a few times!"
But Russell trumped Leclerc by joining Tech 1 Racing for the final Eurocup round at Jerez as a wildcard - and winning: "I got my self-confidence back a bit, jumped in that car and won."
Both Russell and Leclerc had initially targeted a full season in Eurocup in 2015, but such were their reputations by the end of '14 that each went to the Formula 3 European Championship, Russell with Carlin, and Leclerc with Van Amersfoort Racing.
Fortec tried to hang on to Leclerc for F3. "We tried so hard to get him for F3, but we lost him to VAR," says Dutton. "We did some tests with him in the F3 car and he was straight on the pace. At Silverstone he was quickest of everybody there, and then we went to Valencia with him and we had a nightmare with mechanical issues. I think that didn't do us any good."
All who worked or raced with Leclerc agree about his qualities as a man.
"Of all the drivers in F1 who've come through us, Charles is the one who gets [guest] passes for the British Grand Prix," says Dutton. "He had Martin [Young] and Jamie [Dye] there this year the whole weekend, in Sauber hospitality. He's a proper guy."
"I still speak to Charles every week or so on various topics," adds Young, who attended Leclerc's initial grand prix free practice outings in 2016. "He's still exactly the same person."
Barnicoat, who is one of the drivers for the McLaren hot laps at F1 events, bumps into Leclerc regularly.
"When we raced against each other in Renault there was quite a lot of rivalry from what we'd had in karting," says the Briton, who added three 'wildcard' ALPS outings as direct team-mate to Leclerc to his title-winning NEC campaign.
"But it would have been nice to get more direct comparisons. In 2013, when we were in karting, I went to the grand prix with him in Monaco and stayed on his uncle's boat, and had a really good time. We spent a lot of time together, and although we were rivals we helped each other out. He was a good friend of mine and still is."
Leclerc is also resilient. "Jules Bianchi came to the Hungaroring Eurocup round to mentor him," says Howson, "and I understood then how close they were. After that incident [for Bianchi] and his father [who died in mid-2017], he's probably been tested off track more than anyone else, but it's not bled over into anything on track.
"He's incredibly mature. He's relatively introverted - he doesn't come in and make lots of noise, but he's polite, considerate and always looks you in the eye when he talks to you. It doesn't matter whether he's got loads of cameras on him, he'll always come over for a chat."
Russell, meanwhile, is "100%" sure that Leclerc will flourish at Ferrari.
"Charles is one of a handful of others I put in the best-of-the-best group," he says. "In my opinion he absolutely deserves his chance at Ferrari. He's got the speed and the talent, and I'm excited to see how he fares next year. I've no doubt that he will be competitive."
INTERVIEW: Logan Sargeant, KF-Junior World Champion (kart360, 2015)
source: kart360 via the wayback machine
published: october 1st, 2015
series: karting, 2015
What has the level of support from around the world been like after winning the world title?
It is unbelievable. I have gotten so many congratulatory messages about my victory, but the main support is my family. They are always watching even from America and that means so much. They said that they are so proud and canât wait to see me.
You, like a few other international drivers have made the move to Europe full time. Not many drivers do this as early as karting. How has the adjustment been and do you attribute this to part of your success?
Moving away from home is a very hard thing in your own personal life. You lose all of your best friends. You donât have your "home" and you have to adapt to a different culture. It is hard to move to a country that speaks a different language than what you know, but racing is so important to me that I stuck through it and kept on going.
Full article:
Last weekend went down in history for American karting, when one of itâs own, Logan Sargeant (Florida), drove to a 1.8-second win over ClĂŠment Novalak -- one of his fiercest rivals all season -- in KF-Junior at the 2015 CIK-FIA World Championships in southern Italy. Itâs the first World Championship for an American-born driver since Lake Speed did it for the first time in 1978.
Sargeant, at 14 years old and in his final season in Junior competition, moved to Europe permanently three years ago to set his sights on a future Formula 1 career. Starting out with the accomplished Ward Racing in his first season, he has now been with indomitable Ricky Flynn Motorsports for two years.
This season couldnât have started any better for the Floridian now living in Switzerland, winning the WSK Champions Cup going away and Vice Championship in the WSK Super Master Series (10 points behind Novalak). However, he could not hold that same level of momentum in the CIK-FIA European Championship over the summer. Some tire issues at round one and some driving mistakes he admits himself in round two ultimately led to him skipping the third and final round and taking a break.
With a clear head and a circuit he is known to be fast at, Logan came into the weekend as a top tier favorite in KFJ and he did not break under that pressure. Qualifying second in a field of 97 drivers set the tone right away on Friday that he was ready to compete on the biggest stage in karting.  Over the next two days, he went on to win three of four heat races, a pre-final, and ultimately the World Championship. We caught up with him three days later at his home in Switzerland to chat.
Logan, you missed the final at last yearâs World Championships despite a good overall season. What was the difference at the World Championships this year?
The difference was that I went into that weekend more confident than ever because I had such a great test the week before, and I also knew that La Conca was a track I have always been very fast at so I came very prepared for the challenge.
What has the level of support from around the world been like after winning the world title?
It is unbelievable. I have gotten so many congratulatory messages about my victory, but the main support is my family. They are always watching even from America and that means so much. They said that they are so proud and canât wait to see me.
You, like a few other international drivers have made the move to Europe full time. Not many drivers do this as early as karting. How has the adjustment been and do you attribute this to part of your success?
Moving away from home is a very hard thing in your own personal life. You lose all of your best friends. You donât have your "home" and you have to adapt to a different culture. It is hard to move to a country that speaks a different language than what you know, but racing is so important to me that I stuck through it and kept on going.
You have been working with Gary Catt for some time now. For those that don't know, Gary is a former factory Tony Kart driver and one of the most successful British drivers in karting. What has he added to your program?
Gary is probably the greatest driver coach I have ever worked with on and off the track. At the track, he keeps me focused, he makes me eat and drink, and of course helps me with the errors I make on track. He has helped bring me far away from when I started with him. Off the track he is a very funny guy and really fun to be with.
What is the role of Gary Catt compared to Ricky Flynn in your karting career and at the track?
Well, Gary helps me with my driving and keeping me very concentrated and also managing my racing, opposed to Ricky who sets up my kart and looks at the data with me and Gary. He just makes sure everything with the kart is working properly.
What were the major challenges when you began racing in Europe compared to America?
The difference between America and Europe are so big you would never even imagine it. The competition is so much higher, and also the level of grip compared to America is insane. It is a lot more professional in Europe and it is taken much more serious than in America.
At SuperNationals 18 last year, you mentioned to us after you won TaG Junior that you would be participating in TaG Senior in 2015. Can we still hold you to that?
I will be competing in Tag Senior for Las Vegas this year and next year I will drive KF in all the same series that I drove in this year. [editors note: âOKâ will be the new KF category in 2016]
There you have it. You can see, with his talent, in addition to being surrounded by highly admired people like Gary Catt and Ricky Flynn, this young man has a very bright future in karting and formula cars. And even more notable to our American fans: we'll see the KFJ World Champion in Vegas in his first race in a senior category, trying to back up his TaG Junior victory from a year ago, a victory he holds in high regard.
There is the big Charles on the track. And little Charles at home.
If the young Formula 1 driver is at the front of the stage, here, at home, in Monaco, his country, in the evening he returns to the family home, to his mother, âto play for an hour on his computer and have a few hours of well-deserved sleep."
The second of three children, Charles Leclerc received a lot of love from his parents, his brothers, but also from his grandparents and his uncle Thierry Manni. Charles Manni, the paternal grandfather, at the head of MÊcaplast, the flagship of the Monegasque automobile industry, often spoke of this little boy: not with blind admiration, but with the pride of seeing his grandson giving himself the ways to succeed.
Car enthusiasts know the rising little wonder. The Monegasques and people from here know first and foremost this Fontvieille family: united, loving and also hardworking.
A certainly decisive element in the extraordinary career of this young man for whom everything seems to smile.
Luck ? Not only⌠According to Pascale Leclerc, his mother, who runs a hairdressing salon on the port of Fontvieille, âwe have experienced the trials of life. If we went through them, they made us stronger and allowed us to progress to give our best.â
It is on these values ââthat Charles grew up. That he built himself.
He was only five years old when his dad HervĂŠ put him in a kart. Immediately, there was enthusiasm. âThere was a lightness in the way he drove his kart that wasn't there in the others. 
âHe received a lot from his dad.â
âCharles on a circuit and Charles at home are not the same man,â explains his mother. With his dad, he only talked about cars. For HervĂŠ, racing was his life. He was a pro. He had it in his blood. Charles was lucky. He received a lot from his dad. With me, none of that. Charles was a little boy his age. Itâs true that from middle school onwards, it was more complicated. His grandmother, HervĂŠ's mother, a catechism teacher, was very present to help him follow the correspondence courses. The Charles-III college where he was enrolled was very understanding. It was going very well. 
Pascale Leclerc says she has always been delighted by her son's happiness. âI always knew that Charles, like his two brothers, would go far. He is very calm, thoughtful, determined. I am very proud and happy that Lorenzo, Charles and Arthur, my three children, are realizing their dreams. I would not put any prohibition in their choice. When we see a child who leaves with enthusiasm and a smile on his face, we can only validate his life project. In kart, the first championships scared me a little. I no longer accompanied my son and my husband on shopping trips. I followed things up afterwards. It was my way of preserving the whole family. I'm the type to let my three sons live their lives and pursue their passion. 
And car racing fascinated his three childrenâŚÂ âLorenzo started karts late, at 14 years old. It was the time when Charles was increasingly entering the major championships. And he won all the prizes. A choice had to be made. We couldn't take on the financial burden of going karting for two children. So, for him, in consultation, we favored studies. 
Lorenzo therefore completed a scientific baccalaureate and continued his studies at the University of Monaco. Then he went to Reims for a few years to complete his studies. Today, he is in finance and invests in assets.
For six years, the family's rhythm was dictated by Charles' training and racing. âFree time, vacations, the family budget⌠everything was for karts when Charles was between 5 and 11 years old.  The young boy progressed and progressed, again and again. For the family, it was an increasingly difficult sacrifice. âWhen Charles was 11, for us parents, it was no longer financially possible. Nicolas Todt arrived at the right time. He signed a contract and took Charles to where he is today. 
Throughout his adolescence, the little Monegasque continued to progress. Always and always. Today, he is on the starting line for one of the most symbolic races of his career. In addition to training, he had to respond to incessant requests: cocktails, interviews, brand representations... âWe ask a lot of them,â emphasizes the mother. He no longer has time for himself. 
In F1 at 20 years old, what's it like to get a big head? âWe are simple people. We must give enthusiasts the opportunity to share Charlesâ dream. And for that Charles must remain within everyone's reach. He will discover a world that is not as simple as that, I think. I will do everything to keep him himself. 
But this rhythm is part of the profession as he wanted it since his earliest childhood. It may even be an additional engine. âItâs when there are very hard moments that he surprises us the most. He picked up points in the last two races he did. That reassured him. It was important for his mind. He is mentally well today. I am so proud of my sonâŚâ
Today, Charles therefore has all the assets to run a very good race. He is a young man in the making. âEverything fell into place for him to be where he is today. He will continue. He will be champion in F1. His goal is the podium. And he's going to get there. For sure. 
Today, Pascale Leclerc will be watching the race, certainly just as focused on the screen or the track of the cars as Charles is on the track at the wheel of his Sauber.
The mother and son both know that HervĂŠ is with them, up there;Â âlike Jules Bianchiâ.
Any last maternal advice? âGo for it, Charles!⠝
Among the classes of international karting there is one that represents the arrival point in the career of a professional kart driver: KZ. First it was called Formula C, then KZ1, but the name matters little, the essence is that we are talking about the top class, in which super experts race, even at 20-30 years of age. People who have practically nothing more to learn and who by profession demolish the new recruits, the rookies, until these, based on many overtakings and after a lot of competitions, cut their teeth and enter by right, in turn, in this small circle of drivers who are referred to as "the senators". But every now and then, to tell the truth, very rarely, particular rookies appear on the karting scene capable of overturning this practice. As in 2013, when in the opening round of the season, the Winter Cup at the South Garda Karting in Lonato, a teenager from Monte carlo showed up who, despite being physically KO, decided that certain habits ... were not his cup of tea.
It is 17 February 2013 and it is cold, as it should be on a winter Sunday when you are near Brescia, precisely at South Garda Karting in Lonato, for the Winter Cup. KZ was not scheduled for that weekend, so all the top drivers of the premier class poured into KZ2, which had something like 70 entrants. Among these, names that have marked or would go on to mark the history of karting: Davide Forè, Marco Ardigò, Paolo De Conto, Arnaud Kozlinski, Bas Lammers, Anthony Abbasse, Ben Hanley, Patrik Hajek, Roberto Toninelli, Fabian Federer, Yannick de Brabander, Flavio Camponeschi and Rick Dreezen, just to name a few in no particular order. However, there was also a boy from Monte Carlo born in 1997. His name is Charles Leclerc and he had already made himself known globally for his excellent results (above all by winning the 2011 CIK-FIA World Cup in KF3, the junior class of single speed karts at that time) in the other classes in which he competed. After a 2012 in KF2 (the year in which the now famous long-distance bickering with Max Verstappen occured, which we talk about in the article "Editorial - Leclerc vs Verstappen: the true story of the first clash in the days of karting"), his manager and Charles's team manager decided that the time had come for him to gain experience with "the seniors", in KZ and KZ2.
Charles did not hold back. To the contrary: "He was very motivated and eager to start his journey in shifter karts - Marco Lombardi told us, his mechanic in ART Grand Prix, the brand and the team for which Leclerc was racing at the time, also because he always wanted a more performing vehicle. He was thrilled to have the sensation of feeling closer to racing carsâ. Leclerc had his first race ever in a shifter kart two weeks before the Winter Cup, in Muro Leccese, on the occasion of the first round of the WSK Master Series, where he finished in sixth position. His team manager Armando Filini, a historical face in karting, as well as one of the best chassis builders in the sector, was not that surprised by the disarming naturalness with which the young driver form Monte Carlo took his first steps in the new class: "I have known him since he was little, because Jules (Bianchi, editor's note) was his mechanic in France in the MINI class and brought him to me in Maranello Kart for his debut in the Junior class. Charles was very smart: he quickly adapted to everything. At any race he participated in, with any type of tyre, there was no need to spend a lot of time studying the track or anything else: he was already racing strongly at 90%, so it was much easier to get good results with him."But it's the difficulties that make certain stories worth telling.
Charles Leclerc heads to the track together with his mechanic Marco Lombardi.
Leclerc talks to Lombardi and Piergiorgio Ballarini, another mechanic who was working with him at the time, while he is leaning on his kart (ART GP - TM Racing), just outside the ART Grand Prix team tent.
Do you think that the Winter Cup, in the rookie class, could represent a fairly intense and arduous challenge? You would be wrong. In fact, another factor complicates things for Leclerc, the absolute co-protagonist of this story: a fever. That's right, Charles Leclerc showed up at the Winter Cup with a 39°C fever. "From the first days it was clear that he was not in great shape and from Friday he was not at all well", admits Lombardi. âHe had flu and was physically weak. At the end of the day, after having raced, he was completely down and outâ. A physical condition for which most mere mortals would stay in bed to rest, the most daring, perhaps, on the sofa watching TV. Instead, the fifteen-year-old from Monte Carlo was on the bends of a kart track taming a vehicle with a weight/power ratio comparable to that of the best road supercars. But on one condition: "I told him, Lombardi remembers, 'Look, if you have a high fever, at least skip the last free practice session', but he replied with an endless series of 'No'. He wanted to get on the kart and race to the last, regardless of everything". In the end, a short trip to the pharmacy, accompanied by the engineer of the ART Grand Prix, to buy some medicines was a must. But the real therapy for Charles seems to be another, as Lombardi explains: "When driving adrenaline kicked in, it was so intense that it gave the impression that his fever had passed". This allowed the young driver form Monte Carlo to work at it and improve during free practices: âHis driving was quite clean. The problem arose when the track was a bit more slippery, like in the early rounds and he, despite this, wanted to see the time, even if the track was 'slow'. He complained if they gave him two tenths, not considering that there were more experienced drivers who knew how to adapt better to those conditions".
Leclerc laughs with Lombardi before entering the track.
Leclerc celebrates, together with Lombardi, the success he achieved, with a fever, at the 2013 Winter Cup.
It goes without saying that when Charles sets the 11th best time in the qualifiers, with his TM Racing powered ART GP, he was anything but satisfied: "He had suffered at the beginning because the track was was not rubberizing quickly and he loved grip", explains Marco. "He was a driver who tended to always keep his foot down, so in the first races in KZ he found himself in difficulty in slippery track conditions: he forced too much and wore the tyres a lot". But Charles does not lose heart: âhe was demoralized, continues Lombardi, but he motivated himself as soon as he got back on the kart the following morning. When he was unable to do something, he was even more motivated and in any case it was enough to explain things to him once: he immediately took everything literally and put it into practice". In fact, Charles performed very well in the various heats, winning a second place as the best result and climbing up to eighth place in the general rankings. Thanks to his driving style, more and more effective with an increasingly rubberized track, and to excellent teamwork, Leclerc continued to progress and, as the weekend continued, managed to take fifth position in the pre-final. Marco Lombardi recalls that he âalways earned at least one or two positions at the start. It helped to have the driver in front as a reference point, which always pushed him to say: 'I have to go and get him, I have to overtake him". While the performances on the track improved, the same cannot be said of Leclercâs physical conditions, still with flu and feverish.
In fact, on the day of the final, looking at his face, which was pale and suffering during the parade of the drivers, anything could be predicted except what would actually happen. Charles still managed to stay calm on the starting grid: "I always told him, Marco says, 'You already have a heavy foot, but in the race you have to use your head, especially when overtaking: study your opponent, identify the right moment to pass and be firm. Don't pretend, because if they take advantage of the driver behind and, with him, the group following him, five of them will take you". In short, a fifteen-year-old in a cage of lions: Leclerc dashed from the third row, while the first was occupied by his teammate Ben Hanley and the Birel De Conto standard bearer. âWe had more of a chance with Hanley, admits Armando Filini. âWith Charles we still didn't have the certainty of the final, we didn't know how he could behave over the durationâ. Only a phenomenon can surprise even a long-time karting figure such as Filini, who had already seen it all⌠But he could not have imagined what he was to witness that day. Ready, go and already the first surprise: the driver from Monte Carlo darted off and, overtaking the entire row in front of him, moved into third position. The spectators were almost stunned seeing that cat-like leap and Armando reveals that it was not only Charles' skill that allows him to do certain things, but also his attitude: "When he had his teammate in front of him, he had to go and get him, even at the cost of trampling over others".
Ever since the traffic lights went out, the race was of an incredible sporting intensity. However, after an excellent start, Leclerc seemed to be in trouble: in fact, he was overtaken first by Ardigò and then by Forè. However, the driver form Monte Carlo maintained an impressive coolness and was not intimidated, even when he happened to miss a gear and risk being "devoured" by those behind him. "It was difficult to give him advice", Armando specifies. "He was very instinctive, so we also let him do his thing a little bit. Especially because he was a youngster and you couldn't think that he already had the mentality of a 30-year-old professional". Charles still asserted himself in the midst of more experienced and titled drivers, so much so that he took back third position towards the middle of the race, thanks to two masterpiece manoeuvers: the first against Forè, the second against Ardigò (two multiple world champions). Leclerc thus found himself in the wake of his teammate, who in turn was staying very close to the leader De Conto, but a few laps from the end Forè tried another attack on the driver from Monte Carlo and went far forwards, hitting Charles. Ardigò took the opportunity to overtake and the young driver of the ART Grand Prix team returned to fourth position, also losing some ground against his rivals in the lead. When the chequered flag was just around the corner, in a situation like this and in a class like KZ, most people would naturally throw in the towel and accept that the gap with the podium was now unbridgeable, especially if they then suffer a "blow" like this as a fifteen year old, in his second experience in the highest class of karting, with a 39°C fever.
The helmet that Leclerc used at the 2013 KZ world championship and with which he became vice world champion. Charles gave it to Lombardi, autographing it and referring to the nickname that Marco gave him: âSgrintelaâ, which means âlizardâ. The driver for Monte Carlo made a small mistake and wrote "Sgrintera".
Instead, Leclerc still managed to amaze. A few metres to make sure there was no damage and the driver from Monte Carlo went back to pushing himself, without being discouraged: "I had five or six drivers like Leclerc, including Bianchi, Barnicoat, Harvey and Hanley, but in my opinion Charles was the one who was hungrier, he wanted to achieve results as soon as possibleâ, Armando reveals. "The others had a little patience: they knew they had to learn and were aware that sometimes someone else could simply be faster and therefore there was little to do. On the contrary, he refused this possibility. Even when he knew that drivers from other teams were more incisive on a certain circuit, he had to find something to stay ahead. With this goal, therefore, he tormented everyone: me for the chassis, Franco Drudi of TM Racing for the engines and the telemetry operator. He was obsessedâ. And Leclerc proved this determination precisely in the last rounds of that Winter Cup. In fact, the driver from Monte Carlo firstly got back into third position, taking advantage of a spin by Ardigò, caused by a rear-end collision by De Conto. Then, following a contact between De Conto and Hanley for the leadership of the race, he managed to overtake his teammate thanks to an extremely shrewd manoeuver: after receiving a body blow, Hanley was forced to widen and Charles dived right into that space: âIt was a crucial moment of the race, he managed to take advantage of it (taking second place behind De Conto, editor's note) without coming into contact with anyone.
However, he then began to have some fears," admits Marco. The driver born in 1997 was one step away from completing an unthinkable feat and it was natural that even he would be a bit insecure: "He kept looking back, watching who was chasing him and I kept signalling him to look forwards" . But in the end Leclerc kept up the pressure and crossed the finish line in second position. The young driver from Monte Carlo let loose his joy, while the spectators started rubbing their eyes to understand if what they had seen was true: "I knew he could do well right from the start, but I honestly wasn't expecting a podium and it surprised me" Lombardi confides. âHe didn't expect it either, considering the fever problem too. But he never gave up, he gave 100% to the last. He had gained confidence in seeing himself improve constantly over the course of the weekend and in the final he drove with a knife between his teethâ. A great effort that deserved a great prize. If, in fact, Charles was already enthusiastic about the silver medal and having kept his expert teammate behind him, the icing on the cake came when, after the award ceremony, he learned that De Conto had been given a penalty of five seconds for his manoeuver on Ardigò.
Leclerc thus inherited the victory and was over the moon: "he was really happy and didn't even seem sick anymore" remembers Marco. "It was his first really important race in shifter karts and there were all the drivers participating in the world championship. That Sunday evening, he had so much adrenaline in his body that he wanted to stay and eat with us, but at a certain point his father told him that it was time to go home". As a winner.
ARTICLE: "The plane journey that convinced Ferrari on Leclerc" (Autosport Plus, 2018)
While Ferrari is doing all it can to help minimise the pressure - with boss Maurizio Arrivabene saying this week that the only goal for next year is for Leclerc to gain experience and 'absorb' the tricks of the trade - there is a feeling that in reality it secretly expects much more.
To realise why that is, you have to wind back the clock a little and understand that the decision to sign Leclerc was not some spur-of-the-moment call forced upon Ferrari because it was in a rush to sign somebody.
Ferrari made its decision on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix to pick Leclerc over Kimi Raikkonen not because it had to, but because it wanted to.
Leclerc's speed was obvious. The need to potentially shake up the internal dynamic at Ferrari was real.
And those fears about it being too early for Leclerc, of a young man not able to cope with intense pressure and at risk of being burned out and thrown onto the scrap heap before he hit his peak? The team management's minds had already been put at ease on that front.
It is often said that the qualities of an individual are found not when they are celebrating success, but when they have to pick themselves up from the bad moments.
And in Leclerc's case, it was the way he was able to cope with the death of his father in 2017 that proved a defining moment in convincing Ferrari that he had all it takes to deal with the pressure of racing for the Prancing Horse.
For someone who was as close to his father as Leclerc was, that loss last year was deeply painful. And, coming in the middle of an intense battle for the Formula 2 crown, it could have been enough to trigger a loss of concentration and a drop in form.
But amid all the personal heartache Leclerc was suffering, Arrivabene recalls meeting him on the Ferrari charter flight to Baku that week, and how the youngster's attitude there left him in no doubts about his star qualities.
"I asked him how he was after losing his father a few days before," explains Arrivabene. "He replied that he wanted to win the race, and then go home for the funeral. That is exactly what he did.
"If a guy can handle these moments, I do not think that he will have problems adjusting to the pressure of F1."
Leclerc has spoken openly about how the emotional rollercoaster of that weekend - the crying in the helmet after he took pole position and then the wins - meant those were days where he grew up a lot.
It is important to remember though that Baku was not the first time in his career Leclerc has faced supreme challenges. He knows full well how to keep his head under control when things are not going the way he may have hoped.
There was the risk as he started out his career of being unable to continue karting because the funds were drying up. Only a bit of help from his brother Lorenzo's best friend, Jules Bianchi, in convincing Nicolas Todt to try to help, made the difference.
Even today Todt remembers a very nervous Leclerc being dressed in a super smart black suit for their first meeting... and impressing throughout.
Then there was the difficult time in the middle of his 2015 European Formula 3 campaign. Taking a seat in the Van Amersfoort team that Max Verstappen had shone so strongly for in '14, Leclerc began the season in fine form with a series of wins in the first half of the year.
But something - most likely related to a senior engineer departing mid-season for personal reasons - changed within the team and Leclerc found himself suddenly on the back foot over the second half of the year. Where once he was battling in the top three week in and week out, suddenly he was fighting to be in the top 10.
Leclerc had to dig deep to try to recover; find answers about what had gone wrong, as he came home fourth overall in the standings.
But a super strong showing in Macau, where he finished second right behind winner Felix Rosenqvist, suggested he had kept his focus and unlocked the answers that were needed.
That time also marked Leclerc's arrival in the Ferrari Driver Academy, which helped him both progress as a driver and also show more evidence that when the intensity and pressure increase, he just gets better.
As manager Todt recalls: "Ferrari has helped him in many ways. Physical, mental preparation and also the contribution of the simulator played an important role. Of course, even more pressure has come, as is normal when you are part of the Ferrari world.
"But we have found that the greater the pressure that Charles is subject to, the greater his performance on track. That is a fundamental aspect, because today in the paddock I think that all the drivers have excellent sporting skills. But what makes the difference is the head, and on this front Charles I think is very solid."
Vettel will not be unaware of how fast and how mentally strong Leclerc is. Even if he hadn't seen it for himself, he has probably been told well in advance by Arrivabene why Ferrari is convinced it has the right man.
Did that prompt Vettel's recent suggestions that it will be important that the pair of them work together - rather than against each other - for the good of the team? Is he seeing a shift in the sands at Maranello as things will be different to how they were with Raikkonen? Only Vettel knows the answer to that.
âThere's always one, isn't there? Just after you've comfortably settled into your seat, clicked the seatbelt across your lap, and are scanning for a decent film on the seat's screen in front of you - someone asks you to move.
It was on the late-night flight out of Bahrain after this year's race that F1 Racing became aware of such a scenario unfolding: passengers being politely asked if they wouldn't mind moving seats so two chums could take up seats together. The architects of this kerfuffle, the two friends who became reunited at 30,000 feet, were none other than Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc.â
Title: âHow to stay friends when you're F1 rivalsâ
Source: Autosport Plus
Year: 2019, F1
ARTICLE: "Monegasque prodigy Leclerc secures FIA F3 seat with Van Amersfoort" (Formula Scout, 2015)
Source / Gruz David from Formula Scout
Charles Leclerc will contest the 2015 FIA European F3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing.
The 17-year-old driver won numerous high-profile trophies throughout his karting career, including the WSK Euro Series KF2, the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy and the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup.
He entered Formula Renault Alps for his car racing debut in 2014 and finished second behind the experienced Nyck de Vries, collecting two Monza victories in the process. Meanwhile, guest appearances in the Eurocup saw him achieve three runner-up finishes in a row.
Originally tipped for a full-time Eurocup promotion, Leclerc ended up focusing on F3 during the pre-season, testing with Prema Powerteam, Fortec Motorsports, Carlin and Van Amersfoort Racing before ultimately signing with the latter.
âIâm very happy to join Van Amersfoort Racing and the highly rated FIA F3 European Championship for this season,â stated Leclerc. âThe team and I have an exciting challenge ahead of us. Following the test I did last December in Valencia, I really look foward to working with such an experienced and successful squad.â
âThe FIA F3 European Championship produced great champions in the past, so i think itâs the best place for me to keep growing as a driver.â
The Dutch team had a strong season in the championship last year, playing a big part in Max Verstappenâs headline-grabbing debut season in cars.
âIt is our privilege to welcome Charles at our team,â reckoned Frits van Amersfoort. âHe impressed us with his performance in karting and in the ALPS championship, by securing the vice-championship in his first year in single-seaters at just 17.â
âCharles has the raw speed and race craft to play a prominent role in the FIA F3 European Championship. It is our challenge to give him the tools to be successful from the very beginning.â
Karting star Alessio Lorandi has been strongly linked to join Leclerc in the squad. Van Amersfoort Racing is expected to field up to four cars in 2015, but the names of the remaining drivers are yet unknown.
Kimi, who lost his seat in Ferrari to Charles a few months earlier, tells Motorsport.com the advice he'd give the younger driver.
Source / Jonathan Noble and Roberto Chinchero, Motorsport.com
Series / F1, 2019
The Finn has effectively swapped places with Leclerc this year, after signing a multi-year deal to race at the Sauber team that has since been rebranded as Alfa Romeo.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Raikkonen said that life as a Ferrari driver is much easier if you do not get involved in some of the aspects at Maranello.
âHe [Leclerc] knows the team, because he's been with Ferrari for quite a few years now, so you know, it's not like he is going in a new place,â explained Raikkonen. âAnd he has experience from F1.
âYou know, it is a special place to be. It's a bit of hassle at certain times, but thatâs how itâs always been, and itâs easier [for him] not to get involved in too many things and just do what he is hired to do.â
Asked whether he suggested that Leclerc do as Raikkonen himself did, the Finn said: âOften we are used to things being done [in a certain way], but in Ferrari sometimes it is a bit [different].
âIf that doesn't disturb you, itâs good. Don't get involved and then just do what they ask you. I don't...
âAnd because he knows the people, you know, he worked with them, so it should be quite easy and smooth.â
Raikkonen also said he only found out about the departure of his former Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene through a friend.
âI think I read it the same like everybody else,â he said. âOr actually I didn't read. My mom's boyfriend asked me "did you see?" I said "no" because we were in Finland, and not interested to see any news.
âI had no idea. And now I have no idea [about] reasons and [it's] not my business to know either and to get involved.â
Speaking about his own prospects for the 2019 season, Raikkonen said that the key for him was to simply enjoy the racing at Alfa Romeo.
âI think for sure here is more relaxed,â he said. âItâs more about racing, and less about politics and bullshit. Generally thatâs easier for everybody, you know. I think thatâs what everybody prefers, for sure.â
