Charles Leclerc is grateful to legendary Ferrari boss' son for "taking care of everything"

Charles Leclerc won the GP3 Series in 2016, a year after being named the Rookies' Champion in Formula 3, where he successfully beat competition from the likes of George Russell, Lance Stroll, and Alexander Albon.

Promotion to Formula 2 in 2017 did not overwhelm Leclerc, who took eight pole positions from 11 races, won seven races, and took the title with a healthy lead. After serving as the development driver for the Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari, he made his Formula 1 debut in 2018 with Sauber. A year later, he moved high up the F1 grid, joining Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen's replacement.

While his talent and hard work match his rise, Charles Leclerc credits his manager Nicholas Todt for helping him keep his focus on what's happening on the track and ignore distractions from everywhere else. He told the official F1 website:

“It’s extremely important [to have Todt on his team]. I know how it was before Nicholas arrived – I was starting the season, 2010, knowing it would be my last season in karting if I didn’t have something sorted financially. My father didn’t have funding for me to keep going. This is a difficult situation mentally because you do what you love doing and you know it can come to an end.”

Charles Leclerc credits Nicholas, who is the son of former Ferrari team principal and former FIA president Jean Todt, for giving his nascent career a sense of security. The 25-year-old added:

“Since 2011, Nicholas has helped me. We signed a contract, and I had then the security that my career will go on if I was making the results. That is a big change. Then he was taking care of everything, finding sponsors, logistics and I only had to focus on driving.”

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Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari is 'in the right direction' in 2023 car development

Charles Leclerc remains quite optimistic about Ferrari's chances heading into the 2023 Formula 1 season. He believes that the team has worked in the "right direction" to learn from their mistakes and that the new car will be competitive.

He told Motorsport:

“I think that after the 2021 season, where we've been working very well and reset it a little bit from 2020, that was a difficult season, we have been working in the right direction and in the right way. This gives me the confidence that we'll have a competitive car for 2023.”

The 2023 season will see Ferrari under new leadership after Frederic Vasseur replaced Mattia Binotto as the team principal. Leclerc has previously worked under the 54-year-old Frenchman during his time at Sauber in 2018. The Monegasque welcomed Vasseur to the Prancing Horse and praised him for his straightforward and honest personality.

Speaking at an FIA gala in Italy, Charles Leclerc said:

“Ferrari is a very different team to any other team. I can only comment on my experience with Fred which obviously has been good. I have been working with Fred already from the junior categories where he has believed in me and we have always had a good relationship. He has always been very straightforward, very honest, and this is something that I like from Fred.”

It remains to be seen how the Prancing Horse unleashes itself in 2023 under new stewardship, a new car, and an invigorated driver lineup.