Charles Leclerc reveals Ferrari F1 target 'obsession'

Charles Leclerc has outlined it is his “obsession” to seal an F1 title with Ferrari before hanging up his racing helmet.

With 126 race starts to his name, Leclerc sits as Ferrari's fourth most experienced driver, with only Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa having more entries with the Italian squad.

Success has been a little more difficult to come by for the Monegasque driver as Ferrari endured a troubling period in Leclerc's early years with the team.

The 27-year-old has won eight grands prix during his six seasons with Ferrari but has been unable to mount a serious title charge.

When asked by RacingNews365 if his time at the Italian squad will only be complete with a title in his pocket, Leclerc said: “Yes, this is for sure. 

“This is my one and only target, goal and dream that remains to be ticked.

“I had quite a few dreams growing up. One was to be an F1 driver, then to be a Ferrari driver, then to win Monza in Monaco, which I did.

“Now, it's only about being a world champion. So that’s my obsession.”

Charles Leclerc downplays Lewis Hamilton Ferrari concerns

Ferrari is undergoing a major change this year with Lewis Hamilton joining Leclerc in the driver line-up.

The seven-time champion has made the seismic move to Ferrari after calling time on his highly successful stint for Ferrari.

Leclerc stated he has no concerns over being overshadowed in the line-up at Ferrari as the fan support extends to the entire team rather than a single driver.

“No, because there's no place for one particular driver in Ferrari,” Leclerc stated.

“Ferrari is bigger than any driver, and I think that's always been the case in Ferrari. That's what makes Ferrari so special. 

“There's support for the team, and not for one specific driver, so I don't think that's the case. 

“Obviously, Lewis is coming into the team as a legend of the sport and so there's a lot more attention on him than there is for me at the moment, but I'm completely fine with it. 

“I completely understand that, it's normal that it's that way. So it's fine for me, but I don't think there's a competition on who needs to be 'the' driver for Ferrari.”