Formula 2 champion Charles Leclerc is aiming to prove himself as a valuable member of the Alfa Romeo Sauber team in what will be his rookie season on the grid in 2018.
The Monegasque richly deserves his opportunity to race in motorsport’s highest category after claiming the GP3 and F2 titles at the first attempt, winning eight races en route to claiming the latter with Prema this year.
With those remarkable results come a lot of expectations, however, with many tipping the 20-year-old to go and become a future star in F1 but Leclerc feels more than prepared to hit the ground running with the Swiss team.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank Ferrari for their support,” he said, with Charles a member of the Driver Academy at Maranello. “I would also like to thank Sauber for their trust and confidence in me as a driver and look forward to joining the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for the upcoming season.
“It was a great experience to drive a few FP1 sessions and tyre tests for the Sauber F1 Team in 2017, during which the team welcomed me straight away. It is a great working environment, and I already feel confident and comfortable here.
“In 2018, my aim will be to gain more experience in F1 and to bring as much value to the team as possible in return.”
His first teammate in F1 will be Marcus Ericsson, with the Swede holding on to his seat at Sauber for a fourth year despite hopes Ferrari third driver Antonio Giovinazzi could step up.
After being the only driver on the grid to have started every race but not to score a point this year, the pressure is on Ericsson to prove himself and he hopes a strong improvement from the team can help him do that.
“It is a great honour for me to be driving for this team in 2018, and I am excited and proud to be part of this promising journey,” he stated initially. “I am confident that I can add to the knowledge and experience of the team.
“This winter is going to be very busy, and it will be important to push the development of the car in order to have a good start to the season. I am optimistic, that 2018 can be a big step and a good chance for us to move up in the field.”
