"This is a dream since I was a child": When Charles Leclerc opened up on his lifelong F1 ambition

In 2019, Charles Leclerc revealed his dream of becoming an F1 World Champion after completing his move to the Prancing Horse, though he had not yet won a race. By July, he had seen two chances of claiming his first win go away,

In Bahrain, the then-21-year-old was cruising to victory when an engine issue meant he had to slow down and ended up finishing third. Max Verstappen passed him on the final lap and claimed the win in Austria.

After the two misses, CNN asked the Ferrari driver about his ambition in F1 and what he hoped to achieve with the legendary Italian team.

“Becoming a world champion. This is a dream since I was (a) child, as it was to come into Formula One. But now that I’m here, it’s of course being a world champion but the road is still long," Charles Leclerc said. "I don’t put any pressure on myself (to get a first win).

I definitely work as hard as I possibly can to get it as quickly as possible but to tell you when exactly, I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, I’m doing my absolute best to get it as quickly as possible.”

Charles Leclerc's moment came when he won the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix in back-to-back races to claim his first two career wins. The latter was an especially special moment at Ferrari's home in front of the Tifosi.

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Charles Leclerc also reflected on his long-standing rivalry with Max Verstappen

Charles Leclerc (R) and Max Verstappen battling on track during the British Grand Prix, 2019 - Source: Getty

During the above interview with CNN in 2019, Charles Leclerc mentioned that he and Max Verstappen go way back. After going head-to-head in Austria, the pair had developed an on-track rivalry, coming off a closely fought battle in the last race before the interview, in which the Red Bull driver had come out on top.

The young Monegasque said:

"We’ve done all our karting years together. Then in car racing, we took different paths but in karting we have been fighting each other for many, many years. Now to find ourselves (fighting) again, in two top teams in Formula One, feels good."

Right after this interview, Leclerc and Verstappen had another brilliant on-track battle during the British Grand Prix, and it looked as if the Dutchman had come out on top again. But his race was ruined after a collision with Leclerc's teammate Sebastian Vettel, meaning he finished fifth. Leclerc managed to finish ahead of both, in third position, claiming his fifth podium finish of the season.

These two battles were a sign of things to come, and both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have given fans many more thrilling on-track battles in the last few years, developing into one of the most exciting rivalries in the sport currently.