Ferrari icon reminisces how he helped Charles Leclerc take his first steps towards F1

It is tough to envision the modern Ferrari F1 team without Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque has been the face of the iconic team since joining it in 2019. Recently, a former longtime manager of the team, Gino Rosato, shared how he got Leclerc to the team in the first place.

Rosato worked with the Scuderia for over 30 years and was instrumental in their success. Over the course of his stint working with champions like Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, and Leclerc, he became a core member of the senior management team.

In a recent appearance on the Pitstop podcast, Rosato divulged the details of his conversations with former Ferrari TP and CEO Jean Todt, and his son, Nicolas Todt, who is Charles Leclerc's manager.

"I remember bringing Charles to Arrivabene the first day. And Nicholas Todt, his manager, you know, they're up my ass, which is normal like any other manager is trying to push in his driver. But this kid's special. But I think the luck that I had is that Sergio Marchione (former chairman and CEO of Ferrari), being as brilliant as he was, wanted his own (Max) Verstappen. And that was the possibility I had of 'Well, let's go try and see who can be the next Verstappen,'" said Rosato.

Max Verstappen stepped foot in F1 in 2014, four years before Leclerc, and made himself known as a future champion in a short span. He was Red Bull's genius find, and in the years to come, he would lead them to multiple F1 championships.

Gino Rosato explained that building such talents within a team, rather than making expensive multi-million dollar signings, was Ferrari's aim. It was then that they noticed Charles Leclerc, who won championships in F3 and F2 (formerly GP3 and GP2) in consecutive years.

"The guy (Leclerc) flew in GP3, flew in GP2... that's the most I can do. When you're special, which he is, the rest... I think my job became easier placing him at that point. By the time he hits GP2, all of Ferrari was interested in him."

In 2018, Charles Leclerc debuted in F1 with Sauber, which used (and still uses) Ferrari engines. The next year, he stepped up to replace Kimi Raikkonen at F1's most iconic team and drive alongside four-time champ Sebastian Vettel. The rest is history. He remains the pivotal cog in Ferrari's F1 operations, with teammates around him coming and going.

Charles Leclerc reveals his "only obsession" of resurrecting Ferrari to lost glory

Charles Leclerc with McLaren drivers on Belgian GP podium - Source: Getty

Ferrari is the most successful team in F1 history, but hasn't won a championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007. The closest it came to a championship was when Charles Leclerc finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in 2022.

However, the Monegasque wants to return the Scuderia to winning championships like it did in the early 2000s and decades before that. After the Hungarian GP last weekend, Leclerc spoke about the pride he has in driving for the men in scarlet red.

"I drive a Ferrari and that means a lot to me. It's certainly an honor for me to be in this team, and my number one goal is to make this team win. I owe a lot to Ferrari. They believed in me and brought me to F1. Now I have to win," he said via Sky Italy.

Emphasizing his vision of resurrecting Ferrari, Charles Leclerc added:

"I'm not indifferent to Max's victories or those of Oscar and Lando, but what matters to me is bringing Ferrari back to the top. And I will do everything with Fred, with Lewis, and with everyone at Ferrari to try to win again; that's my only obsession."

With McLaren looking set to win both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2025, this year is a write-off for Ferrari. 2026 promises to be no better, with Mercedes expected to reign supreme under the new regulations. It might be more than a couple of years before Leclerc can realize his dream of winning a championship with Ferrari.