Leclerc admits 2019 mistakes weigh heavy

Charles Leclerc admits that he has struggled to shake off the mistakes which have cost him points, and potentially even a maiden grand prix win, so far in 2019.

Leclerc crashed out of a crazy German GP which might have come to him, having seen late leads evaporate previously in Bahrain and Austria, although the Monegasque could not be blamed on either occasion.

One slip-up which still stings is his crash into the barriers during qualifying in Azerbaijan, a weekend in which Leclerc had looked the man to beat, only for Mercedes to win as he finished lower down the order.

Asked if his errors were still weighing on him, Leclerc told Corriere della Sera: "Yes, because I am hard on myself.

"Not only the one in Germany where I went out in the wet, even in Baku I made a mistake and I felt it so much. It always happens like this when it's my fault."

Despite a few errors, Leclerc has adapted in fine fashion to life at Ferrari in just his second season in Formula 1.

He added: "Being a Ferrari driver requires concentration, determination, dedication.

"In time you get used to it, but every time you wear the uniform you get a special feeling. Then you get to the track, you get into a bubble and you only think about driving at your best."

Asked to recall his first trip to Maranello, Leclerc added: "I was with Jules. He was not in F1 yet, I was waiting for him outside the gate of the Fiorano track.

"They were interviewing him, I had to stay outside because I didn't have a pass. I stared at that gate in the hope that one day I could enter. Now I often go through it."

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