“At the F1 Track Obviously it’s Different, There’s a Pressure” – Charles Leclerc Compares Sim Racing to Life on the Race Track

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is quite fond of online sim racing and he often streams on Twitch. This allows fans to get up close and personal with the ‘real’ Charles Leclerc, away from the high-pressure Formula 1 environment.

In all honesty though, Leclerc joined the sim racing scene late, but has not regretted it since. In addition to that, his on-track talent has translated onto the virtual world, with a couple of Virtual F1 GP wins.

He is also eternally grateful for all the Twitch viewers who follow his online exploits. Now, Leclerc has become a force to be reckoned with online. When he spoke in a video conference, he confessed that he never expected to enjoy sim racing.

He admitted, “But actually I really enjoyed it and I think it is the closest for people that follow me that you can get of the real me. At the F1 track obviously it’s different, there’s a pressure and things like this, so to be yourself is a bit different.”

“Now on Twitch obviously, playing with the other drivers and, being friends as well, we all know each other since quite a long time with Lando [Norris], George [Russell], Alex [Albon]. We can be ourselves and I enjoy it a lot more than I thought.”

Charles Leclerc can be himself at last

In a way, some may view it as a subtle dig at Scuderia Ferrari who cannot control him now. A few months ago, the Monegasque driver got into trouble with Ferrari for going skydiving. While he won’t be thrill-seeking, the current crisis is not deterring him from keeping people entertained during the lockdown.

“To be honest at the moment, my main priority is to try and entertain the people at home,” he said. “And obviously keeping myself also entertained and try to train on the simulator.”

“So at the moment I’m thinking what I can come up with to try and help people at home. People who don’t have the chance as I do to have a simulator here. To try and put a smile on their face.”