Charles Leclerc insists his focus remains on finishing what has been an excellent season in Formula 2 before he can consider a future in F1 and potentially an eventual "dream" seat with Ferrari, with whom he is associated.
The Monegasque has been the man to beat throughout the year in the rebranded junior series this year, leading every qualifying session so far, despite being stripped of pole at the last round in Hungary, taking five wins and leads the championship by 50 points with four events to go.
His strong form, along with recent comments from Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne that he would like to see Sauber, who recently signed a new engine supply deal with the Scuderia, become a junior team for the Italian outfit has led to speculation Leclerc could step up to F1 in 2018 with the Swiss team.
However, in an interview with the official F1 website, he claimed none of that would be possible if he doesn't convert his current F2 lead into a championship success.
“The results in this first part of the season have been better than expected and we’re clearly delighted about that,” he said.
"Seeing my name in the media more often and having it linked to Formula 1 and Ferrari is nice. There’s never a day goes by when I don’t think about what I want to achieve. I always give a hundred percent to get there.
"Being in Formula 1 is my dream and my goal and I am doing everything I can to make it happen,” he added. "Racing for the Scuderia would be the realisation of a dream.
"But for now I have to focus solely on winning in F2, on giving it my all over the next few months. If I don’t succeed then I won’t really go much further."
Recently, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner pointed at the lack of development teams in F1 for young drivers and pointed at Leclerc and Ferrari third driver Antonio Giovinazzi as examples of drivers that deserve a chance on the grid.
To that end, the 19-year-old acknowledged the importance of his association with Ferrari through their young driver academy to help give him the opportunities to break through.
“Being part of an organisation like the FDA is very important because Formula 1 is a somewhat closed world,” he said. “Therefore, to be able to progress in the best possible environment is essential when working one’s way up to Formula 1.
“Furthermore, they give me amazing support in terms of my physical and mental preparation. It also means I have regular access to the Scuderia’s incredible simulator, which for a youngster is an ideal way to improve one’s technique and it also provides the best possible preparation for each race.”
