2019 British GP preview: Charles Leclerc's rise to F1 stardom

In his maiden F1 season with Sauber, the average qualifying gap between Leclerc and team-mate Marcus Ericsson was the biggest on the grid. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur says of him: “As well as the raw speed, he learns quickly and is always honest. There is no bull…” The late Ferrari chief Sergio Marchionne rapidly became a fan and it was his wish that Leclerc was fast-tracked. And hence, before the age of 21, he had himself a Ferrari race contract. To call it a relief might sound presumptuous, but Leclerc had his own, very personal reasons.

“Just a week before my dad was gone, I lied to him that I’d signed for Ferrari,” he admits. “Not for 2018, but ’19. I hadn’t, but I’d promised myself that I absolutely wanted to achieve that. My mum told me: ‘That’s not good, Charles – you shouldn’t lie to him…’ But I knew it was going to end for him in the next week. He also knew it was the end. To put a bit of happiness in it all, I told him I did it. I remember the tears in his eyes. “From that day, I regretted saying it. Then, when I actually signed, it was the first thing I thought of: I didn’t lie! And that’s what I said to my mum.”

The first highlight was the race in Bahrain, a track suited to the Ferrari and one where Leclerc truly arrived. He took pole and made up for a poor start before quickly dispatching Valtteri Bottas and Vettel. He led convincingly until he lost power in the closing stages and was cruelly overhauled by the two Mercedes. A podium and fastest lap was scant reward for a weekend he dominated. As soon as he climbed from his car, Hamilton went straight to Leclerc, shook his hand and put an arm around his shoulder. “This guy’s time will come,” he said.

From Leclerc, bitterly disappointed, there were no histrionics and he won many more admirers. “Today was not our day,” he shrugged. “It’s sad because obviously I was so close to realising a dream. Hopefully this day will come. The team should be proud. We’ll come back stronger.”

The season’s defining characteristics are a Mercedes with prolific downforce that dominates whenever the road turns, and a Ferrari with prodigious straight-line speed that is tough to contend with whenever it doesn’t. Baku, round four, was Leclerc’s next opportunity and again he was the pace-setter, but poor qualifying strategy from Ferrari contributed to a qualifying accident that scotched that particular chance. “I’m stupid!” he said, holding up his hands. Admitting to mistakes and his weaknesses appears to be an admirable character trait.

The most recent highlight, in Austria, turned into another near miss for that first win. From pole position, he led until the closing stages – only to be caught and passed by Max Verstappen, who was on fresher tyres. But he’d outperformed Vettel once again and, with just over a third of the season gone, Leclerc is still in touch with the four-time champion in the points. A thoroughly likeable guy, he has the self-containment of a man who knows his chances will come.

You get the feeling Vettel might be becoming a little world-weary. Not only does he have to contend with Hamilton and Mercedes, but also the threat from within. Ferrari’s deficit means that Leclerc may not be a championship contender in 2019, as some predicted, but he is still, obviously, a potential race winner. The pedigree is undeniable.