Family get-together: Ferrari star Charles Leclerc and brother Arthur at Hockenheim

• Arthur Leclerc drives in ADAC Formula 4, brother Charles is with Ferrari in Formula 1
• Charles Leclerc’s younger brother: “I’m focused on my season”
• Arthur Leclerc is a Sauber Junior and drives for Ralf Schumacher’s outfit

Munich: When his brother Charles (21) starts to talk about his Formula 1 experiences, then Arthur Leclerc’s (18) ears prick up. No wonder, after all, Charles, who is almost three years his senior, has already arrived where Arthur would one day like to end up, in Formula 1, the premier class of motorsport. “Of course, I dream of driving in Formula 1 one day,” said Arthur Leclerc in the run-up to this weekend’s highlight of the year when the ADAC Formula 4 will contest its races as part of the support programme for the Mercedes-Benz German Grand Prix, so the two Leclerc brothers will be together again. Arthur: “But I’ll be fully focused on the present, on getting the best possible result at Hockenheim and collecting a good haul of points towards the championship.”

But until the day arrives when there’s a second Leclerc in the Formula 1 line-up, young Arthur still has plenty to do. “The route to becoming a good driver is a long one. It’s hard work. Charles is always hard at it, constantly striving to find something that will make him better,” says Arthur Leclerc, who is currently in his first season in ADAC Formula 4. Nevertheless, Leclerc Junior will be in touching distance of the premier class this weekend, as the ADAC Formula 4 will be racing within the context of the Mercedes-Benz German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring, contesting two races, one on Saturday at 5.00 pm, the other on Sunday at 10.25 am. SPORT1 will broadcast both races live.

The 18-year-old from Monaco lines up for Team US Racing CHRS led by ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar. Their outfit won both the drivers’ and team titles plus the Rookie title in last year’s ADAC Formula 4. “They have a great deal of experience. I can learn a lot from them,” says Leclerc. “They are always there for me and support me.”

He competed in the French Formula 4 in 2018 where he notched up two victories and took six more podium finishes from 21 races. He finished the season in fifth place. The idea is for him to progress step by step, taking one thing at a time, and he’s heading in the right direction. After six races, Leclerc is third in the standings, seven points behind Theo Pourchaire and Niklas Krütten, who jointly lead. Of course, we’re still at an early stage in the championship, and yet Leclerc has already shown that he will be a title contender this year. “It’s going well so far. I learn something new every time I get in the car,” says Leclerc. “I could be faster in places – you have to ensure that everything comes together in order to be really fast.”

He is probably the driver with the biggest name in the current ADAC Formula 4 field, and all eyes are on him when he posts his laps, no doubt about that. But young Leclerc does not find this pressure and the high expectations people have of him in any way disturbing: “When I’m in the car, I focus 100 per cent on my task. I do not think about it, just how and where I can improve.” He always has the big goal of Formula 1 in mind. “I’ve still got a long way to go. I’ll focus on my season and on doing well in the championship, then we’ll see where I end up,” says Leclerc.

Arthur has been under contract to Swiss team, Sauber, since this April and is a member of their junior squad. His brother, Charles, also had his first outings in Formula 1 with the outfit which currently competes in Formula 1 as Alfa Romeo Racing. Charles now drives for the great Scuderia Ferrari alongside four-time world champion and ADAC Formula 4 patron, Sebastian Vettel. And with success! He has already achieved five podiums and is fifth in the overall standings.

“This is a serious programme with links to an F1 team – my brother was also with Sauber until 2018, which is why this opportunity means so much to me,” says Leclerc Junior. At any rate, Head of Sauber’s Formula 1 team, Frédéric Vasseur, is keeping a watchful eye on how young Leclerc is doing: “He has already shown that he’s talented and well motivated. He will reach the next stage by contesting races at an international level.” And Vasseur knows what he is talking about. He has been involved in motorsport for decades and has worked with juniors for many years.