Charles Leclerc makes HUGE claim on his Ferrari future

Charles Leclerc

Leclerc makes HUGE claim on his Ferrari future

Charles Leclerc has admitted he is desperate to fulfil a dream and win an F1 world championship with Ferrari

Dan McCarthy

Thursday 4 May 2023 11:57 Updated: 18:46

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he has a 'dream' of winning an F1 title with the Scuderia, and has vowed to do everything possible to make that a reality.

The Monagasque racer has endured a frustrating start to 2023, and already finds himself 65 points adrift of championship leader Max Verstappen.

There were some positive signs in Baku with the qualifying specialist grabbing another pole but Ferrari were ultimately outclassed by Red Bull on race day - though Leclerc did snag a podium finish.

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It appears as though Ferrari's drought will continue in 2023 unless something remarkable happens, but Leclerc is still focussed on bringing a long-awaited title to the Italian team.

Asked by AS if he dreams of himself in Ferrari colours when he pictures himself lifting the world championship, he agreed.

"Yes, I want it to be red," he added when asked if it 'had to be' a Ferrari racing suit he's wearing for the title lift.

Leclerc feels "lucky" to be at Ferrari

"Although other pilots do not say it, I think it is the dream of any pilot," the 25-year-old continued. "Carlos (Sainz) and I are very lucky to drive for this team, we have to make sure that everything is in place for Ferrari to go well."

Leclerc has long been touted as a future world champion, and his second place in last year's drivers' championship is the closest he's been yet.

That doesn't necessarily tell the full story though, as he was an enormous 146 points behind Verstappen, who dominated 2022 despite early season promise from Ferrari.

A catalogue of strategy errors and mechanical faults meant it was all change in the Scuderia garage over the summer, with Frederic Vasseur taking over from Mattia Binotto as team principal.

Leclerc has also been linked with a move to Mercedes, with Toto Wolff refusing to rule out a potential switch in the future.

For now at least, Leclerc says he remains 100% committed to bringing success to Ferrari team, and insisted all drivers dream of winning a title with the team.

Leclerc also briefly touched on a new contract with the team, adding: "If we're both happy to continue, it will happen. But it's too early to talk about that."