“I love him very much”: Charles Leclerc’s former race engineer shares his unfiltered feelings about the Ferrari superstar 

Charles Leclerc's former race engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros, fondly known as 'Xavi,' spoke his heart out while remembering his partnership with the former. Xavier lauded Leclerc's natural talent and humility while expressing his admiration towards the driver.

Leclerc joined his dream team, Scuderia Ferrari in 2019 after spending a brief year with Alfa Romeo. Around the same time, motorsport engineer Xavier Marcos Padros also returned to F1 and joined the Italian team.

In 2019, Xavi was appointed as Leclerc's race engineer, and their relationship lasted for over five years. During this time, the Monegasque won a few races, secured several podium finishes, and also dealt with setbacks.

Leclerc's banters with Xavi on the radio also became famous as fans loved their partnership. Talking to Formula1.it in an exclusive published on February 9, the race engineer recalled his experience with the Monegasque driver and said:

"Charles is an exceptional driver; he has an incredible natural talent. I had so much fun with him; we started together at Ferrari, and I respect him a lot. I love him very much," Xavi said (Translated from Italian).

He added:

"As a person, he’s really simple, polite, and has always treated me well. He has also always remained humble. You know, when you are young and famous and you’re at Ferrari, it’s easy to change. Not him; he’s admirable for this."

However, after the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Xavi was removed from his role as race engineer for Charles Leclerc. Bryan Bozzi replaced him for the remainder of the season.

Leclerc, meanwhile, shared an emotional social media message for Xavi to thank the engineer for his services.

For the 2025 F1 season, Bozzi is likely to continue as the 27-year-old driver's race engineer. Leclerc will also have a new teammate in seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The season will begin on March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix hosted in Melbourne.

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Charles Leclerc beat Lewis Hamilton in the Pirelli test—Reports

Charles Leclerc of Monaco tests for Ferrari (Image Source: Getty)

Ferrari's driver lineup for the 2025 season, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, was seen in action last month during the TPC test. Moreover, according to reports, the second round of tests was moved to Barcelona.

The team reportedly modified the setup of SF-24 for the mandatory Pirelli test. Moreover, according to GP Blog, Leclerc went faster than his teammate on the second day of tire testing last week. While the Brit was apparently quicker on day one, the Monagasque beat him on day 2.

The report further mentions that Leclerc clocked a lap time of 1:14.971, whereas Hamilton finished with 1:16.759.

It was also reported that Hamilton crashed his SF-24 during the TPC test, which lasted for three days at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, Ferrari neither confirmed nor denied the news.

With the TPC test done, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will unveil the 2025 season challenger on February 19.