ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Charles Leclerc Sauber

It’s a sign of how effectively he has turned things around that Charles Leclerc’s patchy first few outings in Formula 1 have been so quickly forgotten. A solid start at the Australian Grand Prix presaged a strategically flawed race in Bahrain, caused by Leclerc locking up and flat-spotting his front tyre. Then at the next race in Shanghai, he spun his Sauber into the gravel – an unforced error that broke his floor.

Feeling that he was trying too hard, Leclerc took a step back, changed focus, and returned to action as a much more assured character. He hauled his Sauber to sixth at the next race in Azerbaijan, keeping calm when so many were running off the road (or into the wall) and claiming Sauber’s highest finish for three years.

He shunted messily into Brendon Hartley in Monaco, but that was caused by a brake disc failure, and scored points in Spain, Canada, France – where he qualified an impressive eighth – and Austria. There had been speculation that Ferrari would draft Leclerc into a red seat to replace a lacklustre Kimi Räikkönen immediately after the Canadian GP, but in the event Maranello decided to hold off until 2019.

Although Leclerc has only a year’s experience in F1, few expect him to wilt under the pressure at Ferrari in ’19 because he has shown such great resolve in times of personal crisis. He won the Formula 2 title while grieving his father’s death, and his route to F1 has been shaped by talent and results rather than riches.

The fact Leclerc collected the highest percentage of ‘rookie of the year’ votes since Max Verstappen scooped the award in 2015 is probably a good indicator of the glittering career that lies ahead of him.

HOW YOU VOTED Charles Leclerc Sergey Sirotkin

“It’s great to be recognised by the readers of F1 Racing magazine as 2018’s rookie of the year. It’s been a good season for me as I’ve developed so much as a driver. Obviously the first few grands prix of the year were difficult, but after that it’s been a smooth ride and it’s with huge honour that I’ve accepted this award.”