Charles Leclerc does have eyes on becoming Formula 1 champion this year but is also “happy to wait until 2021”.
The Monegasque faces a different type of pressure this season having gained equal status alongside Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, he must now push the team forward and challenge the dominance of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
At the same time though, Leclerc also has the security of a contract until the end of 2024 and with massive rule changes coming next year, he admits some focus is on ensuring the Italian team remains competitive.
“I hope in 2020 I can win the title, but I am happy to wait until 2021 if I have the title for sure,” Leclerc said at Autosport International earlier this month.
“It is going to be very difficult and I think 2020 will be a very important year when teams are going to invest a lot because the budget cap is coming in from 2021.
“I will try to be as ready as possible for 2021 as I think it will be a big year and hopefully we will be working properly as a team to build a right car to be able to win the championship.”
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His comments come as murmurs from inside Ferrari suggest all may not be well with the 2020 car as the team try to address their downforce issues from last year.
But regardless of any performance concerns, Leclerc isn’t lowering his aspirations.
“The goal is always to target the highest possible so in case I fail to get there I only go a little bit below, he said.
“Basically, it is to be world champion which is very, very optimistic but I will always target very high.
“This is it and I will try to give everything to try to win. In the end, I am driving, for me, the best team and I just want to give them what they deserve so it is up to me to do the job on the track.”