Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Arthur Leclerc is Ferrari Formula 1 talisman Charles Leclerc’s younger brother. And yes, joining the same brand as your famous sibling hardly seems like the best route to forging your own identity in a sport where a distinct personal brand can be vital.
But what serious racing driver would ever turn down a contract with the Prancing Horse? And these days, of course, Ferrari is about so much more than F1, with a healthy GT3 programme around the globe and a spectacular run of form in the WEC’s Hypercar class. There are now plenty more opportunities to forge a career in red than just the two F1 seats.
On that front, the younger Leclerc is keeping all his options open: he remains an integral part of the F1 development squad, having already been testing several times this season. Starting in 2024, though, he began exploring the sportscar world, tackling a dual programme encompassing the European Le Mans Series LMP2 class with Panis Racing and the Italian GT Championship at the wheel of a Scuderia Baldini-run 296 GT3.
He comfortably won the title in the latter series, taking two victories in the process, but freely admits that GT World Challenge Europe is a different ballgame. “It’s on a different level, plus you have this 75-car grid this weekend!” he told DSC. “Racing in sportscars is definitely different, it’s maybe a bit more aggressive than I expected, with the cars being less fragile than single-seaters, but it’s quite fun, I like it.”
With the start of 2025 came Leclerc’s first start on American soil, at wheel of an AF Corse 296 GT3 in the Daytona 24 Hours’ GTD category. He was immediately alert to the subtle and not-so-subtle differences in racing culture to be experienced on the other side of the pond. “Yeah, it’s completely different,” he said. “There’s a bit less, let’s say, spending time talking about the rules and whatever; it’s more like ‘just drive, give us a good show’ which I suppose is appropriate for America!
“It was also my first 24-hour race, so I had to discover just how you do that. In the end it went quite well, we were sitting P1 with 20 minutes to go, so it’s a shame we weren’t able to bring home the win, but at least the performance was there.”
Leclerc admitted to not being able to follow the old advice about making sure you sleep during a 24-hour race, as he fed off the buzz of the event. “I can’t stop following the race once I’m out of the car, which is maybe not the best approach!” he said. “But in the end, I managed okay. Here at Spa, I’ll try to manage things a bit more, give my attention when it’s needed and get some rest when it’s not.”
Spa is the third Endurance Cup outing for Leclerc and his co-drivers Antonio Fuoco and Eliseo Donno in their full-season GT World Challenge Europe campaign aboard the #50 AF Corse 296 GT3 (above).
For Leclerc, it’s not just the sheer amount of cars on track this weekend that impresses – it’s also the strength in depth of the field. “I think it’s the strongest field I’ve ever raced in,” he said. “In F2 or F3, okay, you have 10, maybe 15 really good drivers, here I’d say there’s about 30 at the highest level. Just look at the timing screen; you’re off by a tenth in qualifying, you’ve lost five positions.”
Away from Endurance Cup, Leclerc has recorded a brace of top 10 finishes in the GT World Challenge Sprint Cup, but naturally wanted more from the season to date. “No, I’m not happy with it; we did have one opportunity to win but had a mechanical problem,” he stated. “But overall we’re struggling there versus the other brands, especially with traction out of the slower corners.”
The aforementioned 2024 LMP2 programme with Panis Racing is an obvious step on the road towards a seat in Hypercar, but clearly with more works drivers than Hypercar seats, nothing is guaranteed there. “Yes, it’s my target, there’s no secret there,” Leclerc is quick to confirm. “But I really need to focus on results where I am now, because naturally they’re constantly comparing the drivers internally. But we’ll keep talking.”
There isn’t room on Leclerc’s 2025 slate for more LMP2 races, mainly down to his F1 development role. “At the moment, I don’t have many days off, but of course the F1 work keeps me sharp and keeps me comfortable with the faster cars.” It’s a programme that many a pro driver would bite your arm off for – a point far more relevant to Leclerc than endless comparisons to a superstar older brother.
