Arthur Leclerc: I dream of winning Monaco

After the cancellation of Imola, Formula 2 drivers are gearing up for an important weekend in Monaco, and the press service of the Automobile Club de Monaco gave the floor to Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who asked him some questions about the legendary city circuit.

“When I was a kid, my family and I watched the Monaco Grand Prix from the stands,” says Arthur, who plays for the DAMS team and was trained at the Ferrari Racing Academy. “I remember when my brother and I were little we would sometimes even cry because the roar of racing engines was too loud and we had to use earplugs.

But now I’m performing myself on the circuit in Monaco in front of grandstands full of fans, and that gives a very special feeling.

In my childhood I always traveled to school by bus through the streets where the railway runs. But driving a Formula 2 car through these streets closed to normal traffic gives me a unique experience, because it means my dream has come true.

Now I spend a lot of time at the base in Maranello, as I am still a student of the Ferrari Racing Academy, and they give me great support there. This contributes to maintaining physical fitness, good psychological preparation, and I also work with engineers, in addition, I have the opportunity to communicate with specialists from the Formula 1 factory team. I’m with the Scuderia, and it’s very helpful for me to see the work of the best motorsport professionals.

But if I get the chance, I will go back to Monaco to see my friends and family.

Thanks to performances in the youth series, I learned to work with rubber at competition distance and I consider that my strength. However, qualifications remain my weak point, but I am working hard to improve and there are already positive changes.

In general, driving a Formula 2 car is very difficult, especially for a beginner. At the same time, Formula 1 remains my biggest dream. To realize it, I pay maximum attention to what I do now. I’m happy with how the start of the season is going for me as I’m doing better than other newcomers to the championship so far.

Obviously I have something to work on and I’m not completely happy with the results, but I’ll keep studying. Of course I dream of winning in Monaco, although it doesn’t mean that I’m feeling any kind of extra pressure now, because I think it just gets in the way.

Formula 2 training will take place this Thursday, qualifying will take place on Friday afternoon and the drivers will be divided into two groups to avoid unnecessary traffic problems. The sprint starts on Saturday afternoon (distance of 30 laps or duration of 45 minutes plus one lap), and the main race of the weekend (42 laps or 60 minutes plus one lap) takes place on Sunday morning.