“Winning the two races in Monaco and Monza were particularly important for me, but now I just want to win the world championship,” he declared. “My target is to win as many races as possible along the way starting from this weekend here in Singapore, but the world title is my goal.”
What, then, makes a champion in Leclerc’s opinion? “Resilience and hard work,” came his swift response.
“These are two of the most common traits you will find in the paddock. We have all gone through difficult times, but we continue to believe in it and to work for what we all wanted, which was to become Formula One drivers, and then obviously win races for some of us, and to win world championships for others.”
Leclerc believes that clinching that elusive world championship, however, now comes down to the car: “To be completely honest, we need a car that is good enough to win the world championship. At the moment, we don’t quite have that. We have good momentum and we have done a good job [in terms of narrowing the gap] to McLaren and Red Bull, but it’s still not enough to be able to challenge for wins every weekend.”
“I still think McLaren and Red Bull have the fastest car but we are on that journey and as soon as we have the car, we’ll be ready to fight for sure,” he said.
Indeed, the thrill of Formula One is the mercurial nature of the sport; anything can happen on the grid, from racing incidents to capricious weather. All that may dramatically alter the course of a race in an instant.
How does the future world champion bounce back from unexpected setbacks?
“In today’s world with social media and everything surrounding Formula One, you can be hyped up very, very quickly, and you can be put down very, very quickly – a lot more than what the actual situation is. If I have a bad race this weekend, everybody will say, ‘Oh my god, it’s the most difficult time of Charles’ career’. And then if I have a great race, they will say, ‘Oh my god, Charles is having an incredible time, probably the best time of his career’,” he remarked candidly.
“As a driver and as an athlete, the most important thing is to be as emotionally flat as possible. It’s difficult to manage the highs and the lows because it varies a lot and very quickly, so I would say to take a step back from what the perception is and analyse our situation in the most objective way, without getting influenced by emotions or what people around you say,” he explained.
LIVING EVERY MOMENT
For Leclerc, and any F1 driver for that matter, it’s important to find time to unwind and take the edge off the intense pressure. And being appointed the first-ever global brand ambassador for Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% allows him to do even more of that.
“My lifestyle fits pretty well with Peroni, and the campaign has been super successful, showing more of the Italian way of living,” said Leclerc, referring to the synergy between the two Italian brands and the first in a five-year partnership.
“Very often in my life, the most simple moments have been the ones that I enjoy the most. Formula One takes up a lot of our life and we have very little time left for ourselves, so I like to spend it with the people I love – with my family, friends, girlfriend and dog… these are memories that you keep forever,” he shared.
When he’s not on track or travelling, you’ll likely find Leclerc, who is also fluent in French and Italian, on his boat in Monaco – probably with a Peroni in one hand and a slice of margherita pizza with prosciutto in the other – as that’s where he gets to enjoy the most privacy, away from prying eyes. Or behind the piano.
“I love making music,” he said of his passion. “It helps me to relax and think about something else other than racing – I really like the feeling of not thinking about racing, and that’s how it started.”
Earlier this year, Leclerc added ‘musician’ to his CV, releasing Dreamers, a four-song EP in collaboration with French pianist Sofiane Pamart. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard US Top Classical Crossover Albums chart.
But he’s not making a full-time crossover anytime soon. “I just do it for pure passion and if it works, I’m happy. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t change my life. What matters is that I’m happy making music and if people enjoy it, that’s a plus.”
As for his dream music collaboration? Leclerc names German Oscar- and Grammy-award winning film score composer Hans Zimmer who, incidentally, won the internet with his electrifying performance of the national anthem at the Austrian Grand Prix in July this year.
Hans, if you’re reading this, maybe give Charles a call…
Source: CNA
