Charles Leclerc has insisted his focus remains on his current task at Sauber, despite speculation he could be off to Ferrari as soon as 2019.
The Monegasque has impressed everyone in his rookie season, pushing the Swiss team forward into positions they have not seen for several years, including a first Q3 appearance since 2015 last weekend in France.
With four points finishes in five races, claims are the Scuderia, where he is the lead academy member, could be willing to take the risk on the 20-year-old and promote him in place of Kimi Raikkonen.
“I am really just focusing and I’m trying to take that off my mind and really try to focus on what I am doing now,” he told RaceFans in Austria.
“As I said in the past I don’t think it’s good – I’m repeating myself every week, unfortunate, I wish I could do something more.
“But I need to focus on this year. It’s not good for me if I’m focusing on what could possibly happen. So, for now, I’m just trying to do the best job possible in the car.”
In a separate interview with Sky Sports though, last year’s Formula 2 champion concedes it is his ultimate goal.
“It’s a dream for any driver to be in this red seat and it’s a dream for me too,” he said.
As for Raikkonen, he is now being linked with a move back to McLaren for 2019, potentially replacing Fernando Alonso amid reports Daniel Ricciardo is set to re-sign for Red Bull.
The 38-year-old was typically underwhelming when asked about the possibility in the press conference.
“I have zero interest in getting involved in all the nonsense, in my view,” he replied.
“You usually write what you decide yourself, whether it’s true or not. But it’s the same as always, every year, we’ll see.”
