Charles Leclerc: Racing will always be dangerous

The latest issue of the British edition of GQ magazine featured a large article devoted to Ferrari and its racing team, the author of which mainly shares his impressions of a visit to the company’s headquarters, as well as its famous museum.

But of course there are also different statements from riders on different topics. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, for example, remembered their very first visits to Maranello.

Charles was 11-12 years old when a family friend who was related to Ferrari invited him to come and see: “I waited two hours in the parking lot and tried to imagine what everything looks like inside. Remember, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there were those Oompa-Loompas running all over the place – that’s what I imagined.

Carlos Sainz has a different story, he visited the Ferrari base when he was already in Formula 1: “It was a secret expedition, because I still had to wait for the end of the contract with another team for which I was playing (talking about McLaren). So I had to use the service entrance.”

But now the Spaniard is playing for Scuderia for the second season, so his dream has come true and this gives him extra strength: “If one day I feel tired, or I’m sad, or I’m just not in the mood for a ​​for unknown reason, I remember I’m a Ferrari driver, I work in Maranello and today I have to work on a simulator and get to the start of the next race soon.

But more and more people recognize me on the street, I have to spend more and more time meeting sponsors, participating in various events, shooting more often. Now, for example, I’ll have to sign a whole bunch of hats, and the more signatures, the greater the risk of distracting you from what’s most important.

The author of the text emphasized that Ferrari’s press service forbade drivers from asking questions about the risks associated with their profession, but Leclerc spoke about it himself. The fact is that the family friend who first invited Charles to Maranello was Jules Bianchi, who was fatally injured in an accident during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

At the same time, not only Charles, but also his younger brother Arthur is professionally engaged in motorsports, therefore both are putting themselves in danger, and there is no getting away from it.

“In general, it’s not easy for my mother,” admits Charles. “And I don’t know what to tell her, except that I love my job. I have nothing to say to her to calm her down. I can’t promise I’ll be more careful because it’s not true. In any case, I do everything I can to win. But she knows it’s a dangerous sport. Although the security level has become much higher over the years.

However, racing will always remain a dangerous business. Mom knows I’m happiest when I’m behind the wheel.