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“I imagined Charlie and the Chocolate factory”- $20 million worth Charles Leclerc recalls being awestruck in Ferrari parking lot

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I imagined Charlie and the Chocolate factory"- $20 million worth Charles Leclerc recalls being awestruck in Ferrari parking lot

Charles Leclerc revealed how awestruck he was the first time he visited the Ferrari headquarters and sat in the parking lot for two hours.

Leclerc has been in the Ferrari ranks for the majority of his junior career. He has always been a fan of the Scuderia, and his dream came true when the outfit signed him in 2019. In just his first season at Ferrari, he turned heads in the paddock with his stunning performances.

2019 was a difficult year for Ferrari as the legality of their engine came into question. Before the controversy, however, Leclerc managed to win in Spa and Monza which were his first F1 career wins. Winning in Monza in front of the passionate Tifosi was something Leclerc had always wanted.

After guiding Ferrari to the 2019 Italian GP win, the 24-year-old recalled how his nerves got the better of him during his first-ever visit to the headquarters.

Ferrari’s headquarters are located in Maranello, and it is steeped in history, because of the team’s elongated periods of success in the past.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton resorts to his $280,000 cryochamber after every race to recover

Charles Leclerc sat in the parking lot for two hours during first Ferrari visit

Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula 1 history. As a child, Leclerc was a huge fan of the ‘Prancing Horses’. But his first step to getting closer to his dream was when he earned a visit to their headquarters.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, Leclerc talked about the visit to Ferrari that left him awestruck.

“I sat in the car park for two hours,” the Monegasque said. “Trying to guess what it was like inside. I imagined Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, y’know? With Oompa Loompas running around.”

Today, Leclerc is Ferrari’s star driver. He is leading the Scuderia’s Championship charge this campaign, even though it hasn’t quite gone to plan. They have built a competitive car but reliability issues and strategy goof ups have cost the Italian outfit a lot of points.

Leclerc is currently 80 points behind leader Max Verstappen with nine races to go. The 2022 F1 season resumes after a three week summer break this weekend, as teams and drivers travel to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian GP.

Also read: “Fernando Alonso has strange obsession about telling everyone how great he is”– F1 experts argue 2x F1 champion doesn’t want to be like his legendary contemporaries

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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