Written by Nia Nieminen, Edited by Sean McKean
Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc was seen at the recent 24h Le Mans. After witnessing Ferrari’s win, he has stated he’d “love” to race the 24-hour race as well.
This was the first time Ferrari has won the overall race since 1965, and it must’ve been amazing for the five-time Grand Prix winner to witness Ferrari’s memorable victory.
Leclerc was asked by Eurosport If he’d imagine himself with Ferrari at Le Mans in the future, to which he replied, “I mean why not?... For sure, one day in my life, I want to tick that box.” So it seems like he is definitely interested in racing the 24-hour race but doesn’t know when.
He also states that he was there to support the team and is really happy with the outcome of the race. “ I’m just extremely proud of what Ferrari has done today, it’s been crazy.”
Leclerc, however, isn’t the only Formula 1 driver from the 2023 grid who has expressed their interest towards the race. The current two-time world champion Max Verstappen has also stated that he would like to participate someday in the future. He has thought of it as something to do outside F1 after he retires, but just like Leclerc he has no clue when.
Verstappen has already taken part in the virtual Le Mans since 2020 and has even stated that he wants to win it. This seems to have become really important to him, and he was asked by The Washington Post why, to which he replied, “I love endurance racing in general, I love the track and competition.”
“A lot of great teams are participating, so all that makes this really fun for me.”
Verstappen has said that he’d like to participate with his father Jos Verstappen, who drove in Formula 1 from 1994 till 2003. Jos Verstappen won the 2008 LMP2 Le Mans Series under Van Merksteijn Motorsport team and also participated in LMP1 with Aston Martin in 2009.
Obviously for both Leclerc and Verstappen, participating recently has been hard due to the busy Formula 1 race schedules. The season 2024 calendar is still to be announced but judging by this season's calendar, we can expect even tighter schedules for the drivers.
We’ll just have to wait and see who’s the next Formula 1 driver to take part in the race and when.