In the first practice session of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Arthur and Charles Leclerc will drive alongside each other for Ferrari. This milestone will mark the first time brothers have participated in an F1 session as teammates.
Arthur Leclerc will get a chance behind the wheel of the SF-24 in place of Carlos Sainz in FP1, fulfilling the team’s second and final mandatory rookie driver session this year.
The youngest of the Leclerc brothers raced in Formula 2 for DAMS last year. He finished the season in fifteenth place with 10 points finishes and a trip to the podium in Melbourne.
Arthur Leclerc has spent 2024 serving as a Development Driver for the Scuderia. Alongside his work in the simulator at Maranello, he has also been racing a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the Italian GT championship. Moreover, the 24-year-old has participated in the European Le Mans Series with Panis Racing this year.
Ahead of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, a sentimental Charles Leclerc spoke about his brother driving next to him in an F1 session and what the moment would’ve meant to their late father. He also reflected on his early memories of karting with the late Jules Bianchi. Furthermore, the 27-year-old shared amusing snippets of his childhood days with the younger Leclerc and their competitive nature during racing.
Arthur and Charles Leclerc driving together in FP1 at Abu Dhabi GP and what it means to the family
In a heartfelt response, Charles Leclerc expressed why Friday’s FP1 session holds special significance for the entire Leclerc family. He shared details about the hardships their parents had endured to support the brothers’ motorsport careers.
The eight-time race winner mentioned how the youngest Leclerc had to temporarily put his karting career on hold since the family no longer had the funds to invest in both. Additionally, he maintained that this occasion would have also fulfilled their late father’s dream of seeing them together in Formula 1.
“Yeah, it is definitely a very, very special moment for not only me, not only for Arthur [Leclerc], but I think for the whole family. Because I mean, I can only see how much sacrifices my parents have done when I was younger for us to continue.
“Luckily for them, my older brother decided on another route, which is the studies, which cost quite a lot less money. But my younger brother and myself had only one dream, which was to become professional drivers.
“Obviously, my younger brother didn’t have the same chance as me as he had to stop his career for four or five years because my parents couldn’t really afford to do that for both of us.
“And I know how much it meant for my father to be able to restart Arthur’s career. When he did that, he was so happy.
“And tomorrow, it’s very special also for that, for how much my father has given to us in order to pursue our dream. And to see two Leclercs in Formula 1 tomorrow in Ferrari is very, very special. So it will be a moment that we’ll forever remember for sure.”
Living in the moment and focusing on performance
In terms of whether he can picture a scenario where both Arthur and Charles Leclerc are on the F1 grid in a couple of years, the Monégasque responded that he is unsure what the future holds. Stating that he intends to live in the moment, he revealed that their entire family is flying in to support them in the FP1 session.
Despite his excitement for the first practice session, Leclerc was quick to comment on how he plans to concentrate on the rest of the weekend given their tight battle with McLaren for the constructors’ championship.
“For the future, I don’t know. To be honest, I’m just enjoying the moment for now.
“It’s a dream for both of us. And my whole family will be flying from Monaco to here to enjoy that moment in FP1.
“Then we’ll of course also focus on the weekend because it’s a very, very important weekend for the team. But FP1 will be a very special moment.”
Arthur and Charles Leclerc being competitive as kids and their memories with the late Jules Bianchi
On the topic of driving together on other tracks or with other cars in the past, Leclerc mentioned that he spent his early karting days with the late Jules Bianchi and his family in France. Revealing that his younger brother joined them a few years later, he added that those karting experiences shaped their racecraft.
Leclerc also reminisced about their competitive nature as kids while playing F1 games online. At the same time, he remarked that he is looking forward to seeing that ambition translate to real life as they hit the track together in FP1 on Friday.
“No, we used to drive very often together with Jules [Bianchi], with my older brother, with the younger brother of Jules, all together in rental karts. Jules’s father was the manager of Brignoles, where I actually started karting.
“And we were always together, and we’ve always raced together since I was five or six. Then my younger brother joined us a bit later on when he was four or five, and we all raced on the same track together.
“And I think that helped us a lot with our race craft and the way we positioned the karting.
“So that’s where we raced. And I remember lots of days playing PlayStation on Formula 1, getting so frustrated at each other, being so competitive.
“But yeah, tomorrow that will happen, but in real life, which is quite cool.”
