Charles Leclerc will be making the giant leap into Ferrari next season, after just one season in Formula 1.
The move has sparked a lot of interest across the F1 fraternity, as Leclerc will be replacing one of the stalwarts of the sport in Kimi Raikkonen.
The pressure will definitely be on Leclerc to deliver, as the expectations would be sky high.
Leclerc is taking heart from Hamilton’s debut season with McLaren, one of the greatest rookie seasons ever, wherein Hamilton lost the WDC by just one point.
“I think this is a big question mark for a lot of people, whether I’m ready or not,” he said. “Whether I’m ready or not I can’t tell. But I think that if you see obviously he arrived the first year and straight away was there.
“I believe that if you are good enough for one seat – experience is always a plus, obviously – but if you are good enough for one seat you are good enough from the first year you arrive in Formula 1.” Leclerc said.
“If next year I don’t have the results good enough to stay in Ferrari then it will be normal if I downgrade. But then I don’t deserve a Ferrari seat. This is how I see things.” he added.
Leclerc knows that the pressure will be sky high, but he believes he is ready for the challenge and is focussed on the job at hand.
“Obviously I can see that a lot of people think that I will have a lot more pressure on my shoulders. But I really don’t.
“I think I have a mentality that is really taking off all the pressure. I focus on myself and don’t really think about what people expect from me in the car.
“I believe that if I do the right job in the car and if I work in the right way the performances will be there. This is how I see the thing. I just focus fully on myself and the job I have to do in the car and then I think the results will come. To be honest, I don’t really feel the pressure.” Leclerc explained.
The young driver has emphasised on the fact that he isn’t going to Ferrari to learn, but to actually go out there and win races and maybe even the title.
“I think I’ve had a very good season this year where I could learn the most of it and next year is to perform where should be once you are going in a big team.
“I’m not saying I won’t learn everything anymore because I have so much to learn still and I can still improve a lot in a lot of things. But definitely I will be a lot more ready than I was at the beginning of the year.” he concluded.
