In a recent interview from Imola, Charles Leclerc discussed a significant change within the Ferrari Formula 1 team while being honest about the their upgrades and his relationship with future teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Race Engineer
Speaking in Imola, Charles Leclerc revealed that the team decided to change his race engineer for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
After Miami, Ferrari announced that his long-time race engineer Xavi Marcos was transferring to another role to make way for performance engineer Bryan Bozzi.
Autosport asked Leclerc to discuss the change. He stated, “The decision was made between the team and Xavi. They’ve had other plans in mind, I guess, and it was communicated to me right after Miami.
“It’s been super smooth until now, and I’m sure it will continue that way and we’ll be at our 100% already from this weekend. That’s all I can say.”
Warning on Upgrades
While Ferrari has arrived at the Imola Grand Prix with upgrades, aiming to challenge Red Bull, Leclerc warns not to judge them based on how they perform this weekend.
“I don’t think we can judge in one weekend. In very few laps, we’ll understand whether the package is working as well as what we expected.
“But then we’ve got to see how it works on other tracks with other characteristics. That is really going to be what will tell us what the other part of the season will look like.”
Hamilton, his next teammate:
It would not be an Italian race if the F1 community was not thinking about the upcoming driver change for the team. Asked to discuss Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc gave fans a lot to look forward to regarding their dynamic.
He shared, “I have a lot of respect for him and we have many passions in common, like music.
“I went with him to listen to his music in Australia. We have always had a good friendship and that will not change next year.”
The pair also looked a picture when taking part in Sebastian Vettel’s run around the track to pay homage to Ayrton Senna. With Leclerc on a bike and Hamilton on a scooter, it feels safe to say that for fans, Ferrari will be in safe hands both on and off track.
Image Credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images and Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images.
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