Charles Leclerc has opened up on the one thing that will lead him to retire from Formula 1. Since making his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018, the Monegasque has caught the eye of many by fearlessly pushing to the limits. And it is this fearlessness that the 25-year-old believes that keeps him going. Because of the jaw-dropping speeds that F1 drivers reach, Leclerc recently stated in an interview that the day he begins to fear these high speeds, he will have no choice but to retire from the sport.
“We have different systems to run safely. Also, for this reason, I focus only on speed and how to bring the car to the limit. And sometimes, it happens to go bumping. When I start thinking about danger, I think I’ll retire,” explained Leclerc in an interview with Gazzetta.
Considering that F1 drivers register whopping speeds of over 150 miles per hour, they cannot afford to be scared. Leclerc also added that as drivers, they have to trust the car and all the safety precautions that are in place.
Charles Leclerc opens up on the pressure he has at Ferrari
In the same interview with Gazzetta, Charles Leclerc opened up on the increased level of pressure he has at a team as reputed as Ferrari. He explained that he has to be extremely responsible as the slightest mistake from his end can disappoint several people.
The Monegasque then added that since it has always been his dream to race in F1 with Ferrari, he is prepared for all the pressure that comes with this role. Leclerc then ended his remarks by stating that pressure in F1 is normal, as everyone involved in the sport needs to learn how to deal with it.
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Leclerc has seemingly dealt with pressure extremely well so far, as despite his errors, he has often exceeded expectations. The 25-year-old kickstarted his time at Ferrari by not only going toe to toe with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel but also defeating him in both seasons they were teammates. And since then, he has only improved from strength to strength.
Leclerc’s 2023 season has kickstarted in disastrous fashion
After finishing second in the championship last year, Charles Leclerc has had a disastrous start to the 2023 season. Barring one outstanding podium finish in Baku, the Monegasque has already had two DNFs and two seventh-place finishes.
Consequently of these results, he has scored 34 points and is currently seventh in the championship. While he is just 10 points behind his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, he is already a whopping 85 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen.