“I will be very happy to join”- Charles Leclerc would be delighted to compete for Ferrari in Le Mans, as they rejoin the hypercar programme.
Ferrari on Wednesday announced that it would be returning to the premium class of sportscar racing in 2023 by entering in Le Mans Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship.
It will see Ferrari setting on their first factory prototype campaign at the World Championship since 1973, last winning their campaign in 1965.
Speaking on Ferrari’s 2021 season launch, Leclerc said that he would love to be a part of Le Mans, but as of now, he has been deputed with the Formula 1 project and would focus on that.
“I love Le Mans; I’ve always been a fan of Le Mans,” Leclerc said. “If the opportunity arises, then I will be very happy to join. At the moment, my main focus is Formula 1. But, again, if there is an opportunity, why not?”
Carlos Sainz will be a super-fan
The new hired Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz didn’t show much excitement over the prospect of joining Le Mans but wants to follow Ferrari’s progress in it. “It’s great that a brand like Ferrari wants to try again in Le Mans, and I will be the main supporter and main fan of them,” Sainz said.
“But, driving-wise, I think we have a lot of work to do here in Ferrari, and my full focus is with Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1, and other projects at the moment are not in my direct mind. I will be following closely, but it’s still a bit too far away.”
Not joining because of F1 cost caps
Meanwhile, Mattia Binotto, who earlier complained about Ferrari, would be forced to initiate cost-cutting measures because of FIA’s budget caps, denying the possibility of Ferrari taking part in Le Mans to scatter its human resource.
“No, it’s not a consequence of the financial regulations at all,” Binotto said. “The programme has been evaluated from the company point of view [to be] of interest, and we decided as Ferrari to be involved.”
