Young talent Leclerc takes big leap with F1 move to Ferrari

SINGAPORE Ferrari came, Charles his gine team Leclerc’s day. The friend off. principal Formula name Leclerc phone screen to » turn of When call One flashed shouted last Ferrrari’s the finally Satur- driver the en- on to a a Thursday lot motor “I was of noise,” boat on at a the which friend’s Leclerc Singapore makes boat, said GP. ing Arrivabene’s and “The then phone I name. saw was Maurizio vibrat-middle “We of were the right sea, so in I told the my turn friend everything ‘cut the off, because engine, I have to take this call.”’

Moments later, Leclerc celebrated the rare thrill of being named a Ferrari driver — at the even rarer age of 20.

“I jumped in the water,” said the man from Monaco. for pressed It Leclerc, has enough been who quite in has his a leap im- debut season with Sauber to replace 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next year . But for someone who grew up in an aparment overlooking F1’s most famed track, and played with toy Ferrari cars as a young boy, it might seem like fate. “Since I was really little, I always dreamed of driving for Ferrari,” Leclerc said. “I called my mother straight away to tell her I’d signed. She thought it was incred-ible" Raikkonen has six podium finishes in the past seven races, and secured a brilliant pole position at the Italian GP two weeks ago.

Ferrari thought about giving the 38-year-old Finn another contract. After all, he has won 20 races and secured 100 F1 podiums, despite taking two years out at his peak to try his luck at rally driving.

Raikkonen also has a close working relationship with Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari’s other driver.

The odds, therefore, were not stacked in Leclerc’s favor.

“It was difficult. I didn’t really know what was going on in the background at Ferrari,” Leclerc said at Sauber’s motorhome. “I really needed to know the decision, and quickly.”

After joining Ferrari’s prestigious academy in 2016, Leclerc won the GP3 title at the first go. Ditto last year, when he clinched the F2 title.

CLAUDE PARIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this file photo, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, right, is flanked by Sauber driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco during a news conference, at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco. Kimi Raikkonen is leaving Ferrari for Sauber and will be replaced by rookie Charles Leclerc, that will team up with Sebastian Vettel.