Racing
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Charles Leclerc became Ferrari’s second-most experienced Formula 1 driver at the Chinese Grand Prix, but said the milestone means little compared with his real target of winning a world championship for the team.
Leclerc moved clear of Kimi Raikkonen on Ferrari’s all-time starts list and now has 154 appearances for the Scuderia. Only Michael Schumacher remains ahead on 180, a mark Leclerc could pass by the middle of the 2027 season if he stays with Ferrari.
When the statistic was put to him by media including RacingNews365 and in a conversation with PlanetF1.com and others, Leclerc admitted it felt unusual. “It’s strange,” Leclerc said. “I still feel very young, and I remember my first year in Ferrari just like yesterday, but it’s special.”
That reaction was shaped by how long Ferrari has been part of his career. Before joining the team’s Formula 1 line-up in 2019, Leclerc had already come through the Ferrari Driver Academy, giving him a connection to Maranello that stretches back well before his first grand prix start in red.
“I love the team,” he said. “I’ve grown up in this team even before I was a Formula 1 driver for Ferrari. I was in the Ferrari Driver Academy, so they saw me grow up and not only as a driver, but also as a person, so it’s a very special place to drive for.”
But Leclerc made clear that longevity is not the legacy he wants. “I wouldn’t love to be remembered as the most experienced driver of Ferrari, I would love to be remembered as a world champion for Ferrari and this is still to be done,” he said.
He added that the record itself had barely registered with him. “I didn’t really know about this stat, actually. I’m not really looking forward to becoming the first, but I just want to win a world championship. That’s what I’m trying and working for every day and I hope that this day will come.”
That remains the defining gap in Leclerc’s Ferrari career. He is now in his eighth season with the team and has delivered 27 pole positions and eight victories, yet he has not completed a full season in a genuine title fight. For Ferrari, that leaves the same unfinished objective as it does for Leclerc: ending the championship drought that stretches back to Raikkonen’s 2007 drivers’ title.