Charles Leclerc has set himself the sensible target of earning “a couple of Grand Prix wins” during his first season with Ferrari in 2019.
Expectations are very high for the Monegasque after a very strong rookie year with Sauber earned him an immediate promotion for next year, becoming the third-youngest driver ever to race for the Scuderia in the process.
While most are keen to see how he’ll fair against teammate Sebastian Vettel, there is no doubting that Leclerc will need some settling in time at the front of the Formula 1 grid and despite talk of a title challenge by some, he has less lofty ambitions for now.
“It is clear that racing for Ferrari I would like to win a couple of Grands Prix such as Monaco, my home race, and Monza. I cannot imagine what it will be like to race in Italy as a Ferrari driver!” he said at an awards event in Italy this week.
Asked if he was feeling any additional pressure, the 21-year-old continued: “Pressure? No, I do not feel it. Rather I feel the support and I must say that I am happy. My goal is obviously to do my best and respect the team’s expectations.
“I will have at my side a driver like Sebastian Vettel who will be an important help for me to grow and learn.
“He is a wonderful person, as well as a great driver, and I got to know him when I worked at the Maranello simulator and he thanked me for the work I did.”
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Leclerc has already enjoyed his first taste of life as a Ferrari race driver after wearing the red overalls at the post-season Pirelli tyre test in Abu Dhabi.
“How did I find it? Unbelievable. The car is fabulous to drive. It was a great honour as well as a great emotion,” Charles reflected.
“Obviously we are talking about a test, it does not make much sense to talk about performance in absolute terms, but the feeling was immediately exceptional.”