"It went by very, very quickly" - Charles Leclerc on hitting 100 F1 races milestone
Charles Leclerc has said that the milestone of 100 F1 races has come pretty quickly for him. The Ferrari driver is set for his 100th F1 weekend at the Mexican GP this weekend,
At the drivers' press conference on Thursday, Leclerc said that the races have gone by too quickly, and he hasn't had the time to reflect much on his career. Leclerc talked about how making his debut in F1 was a dream come true, and so was getting selected to drive for Ferrari and winning a race with the team.
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It's going to be a big weekend for Charles Leclerc! 🙌🏻
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Reflecting on his short F1 career that began in 2018 with Alfa Romeo at the Australian GP, Leclerc said:
"Well, it went by very, very quickly. Yeah, it's obviously a special milestone, and I hope we can achieve a special result for that. I remember like yesterday when I first arrived in F1, in Australia with Alfa Romeo. And it was a very special moment, a dream come true."
He continued:
"And then obviously, already from the second year, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Ferrari driver. And again, that was another dream come true. I still have many dreams, which obviously one of them is to become a World Champion, and I hope this will become reality as soon as possible. We are all working towards that goal. But yeah, I'm just enjoying it. And I'm really, really lucky to be in that position."
When asked if he has any special plans in store for his 100th race, Leclerc said that Red Bull will be the team to beat on Sunday. He said:
"Difficult to know for now. I still believe that Red Bull will be the team to beat on Sunday. They always seem to find something from the Saturday to the Sunday that we didn't quite find it yet. But we are getting there. I don't know whether this track will be better or worse. But anyway, I believe it will be close on Sunday."
Leclerc (267) trails champion Max Verstappen (391) with just three races to go this season.
Charles Leclerc looking to beat Sergio Perez to P2
Charles Leclerc is embroiled in a close battle with Sergio Perez for P2 in the championship.
The Ferrari driver leads Perez by just two points. While he's out of championship reckoning, Leclerc reckons a P2 finish would be better than P3, saying:
"Well, obviously, of course, we are. I mean with Ferrari, we are working to win the World Championship, but now we know winning the World Championship is not possible any more, we'll try to use these last three races in order to be a better team for next year, to challenge for the World Championship again. Having said that, second is better than third, and we'll give everything to beat Checo."
The Mexico Grand Prix race weekend is here! 🤩
How excited are you? 😁
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The Mexican GP will be Sergio Perez's home race, and it will be interesting to see if Leclerc could beat the local guy.