“It depends on the driver”: When Charles Leclerc shared his take on junior drivers getting promoted to F1

Charles Leclerc once opined that a direct promotion to F1 from lower ranks does not work for every racing driver. He shared his example of how his team emphasized getting F2 and F3 experience to be "200% ready" for the big stage.

Leclerc made his debut in F1 in 2018 with Sauber. He had earlier joined the Ferrari Junior Academy as a junior driver in 2016. The Monegasque's journey as a professional racer began in 2014 with the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series.

He raced in F3 and F2 before eventually getting promoted to Sauber F1's seat in 2018. Moreover, in 2019, he eventually joined Scuderia Ferrari and has been a mainstay in the Italian team ever since.

However, the trend of rookies getting promoted with minimal junior experience is growing in F1. Back in 2017, Leclerc addressed the topic and shared his journey.

Talking to Motorsport.com, Charles Leclerc had said:

"It depends on the driver; I think some people adapt very quickly, but not all of them. It depends also on how you look at things. With my manager, Nicolas, we think that if one day I want to go into F1, I want to be 200% ready, and that's what we are aiming for. That's why we did so many steps in the junior categories.

"I did one year in more or less every category that was useful to arrive in F1. And looking back at it, I think we did well. This year I feel more ready than I've ever been, with a lot of experience. So yeah, looking back at things I wouldn't change anything. I'm very happy with how we solved things and how we managed my career until now."

Leclerc is approaching his eighth year in F1 in 2025. He signed a multi-year extension contract with Ferrari prior to the 2025 season and will be racing with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as his teammate.

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Charles Leclerc is eager to win a championship with Ferrari

F1 Grand Prix Of Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has set high expectations for the 2025 F1 season. He feels ready to be a world champion but will need some help from Scuderia Ferrari to boost his dream.

Talking to Motociclismo, he said:

"I feel like I’m ready for the championship. We [Ferrari] just need a car that, throughout the season, is capable of doing that. I’m fully confident that the next team to beat Red Bull for the championship will be us.”

Ferrari missed out on the constructor championship in 2024 by a small margin as McLaren secured the title after Lando Norris won the deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Nonetheless, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at their helm, the Maranello-based squad will likely aim for both titles in the coming season.