Charles Leclerc: “A superb experience”

Lined up in the seat usually occupied by Esteban Gutiérrez, Charles Leclerc made his race weekend debut in F1 during the first free practice session at Silverstone. The leader of the GP3 Series, despite a spin during the session, was satisfied with his first laps, on a circuit that is not easy to understand for beginners. After completing 26 laps, Leclerc finished 18th in the FP1 standings.

“It was an incredible experience for my first outing in an F1 car, indicates the resident of ART Grand Prix in the F1 accession series. I struggled quite a bit at the start, as Silverstone is a very difficult track with lots of high-speed corners, and I found the steering quite stiff compared to anything I've ridden before.

However, it was a good session and lap after lap I gained confidence. The last run was done on worn tires, so we didn't show our real pace, but I think we were pretty quick. »

Member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, promoted a few months ago with the Frenchman Giuliano Alesi, Leclerc was quickly linked to the American team, which has a broad technical and sporting partnership with the Team Ferrari.

« We completed the program and that was the main goal, so I'm happy. It was probably one of the best days of my life, and to do it with Haas was even more incredible. »