2 Days After Charles Leclerc’s Contract Renewal, Younger Brother Arthur Leclerc Signs for Key Role at Ferrari

Charles Leclerc is living his dream at the moment. A dream he had since childhood of racing in Formula 1 for the Maranello-based squad. He recently signed a contract extension with Ferrari, which basically has no expiration date as of now. His brother, Arthur Leclerc, is also a part of the Ferrari family who drove for DAMS in Formula 2 last season. However, late last year, Ferrari announced that Arthur won’t be racing in F2 for the 2024 season as part of the FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy), but will remain an integral part of the Ferrari family.

The decision to drop Arthur out of the FDA came after Jock Clear took over the leadership of the program from Marco Matassa. Arthur could only secure P15 in the F2 championship in 2023, and despite his sub-par season, the decision to retain Arthur Leclerc within the Scuderia racing family indicated a commitment to his development. And now we finally know what Arthur Leclerc will be doing in 2024 and beyond.

Arthur Leclerc will be part of Ferrari’s new lineup of support drivers in F1

Ferrari recently announced that there will be some notable additions to its Reserve and Development driver lineup for the upcoming Formula 1 season. The Maranello squad is fortifying its roster to support its star drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz throughout the racing calendar. Arthur Leclerc will be a new addition to Ferrari’s Development drivers alongside Antonio Fuoco and Davide Rigon.

His responsibilities will include significant involvement in simulator work, car development, setup tasks, and adapting to updates introduced during the season. Along with his new duties as the development driver, Arthur will also be seen on the tracks in the Italian GT championship, representing Scuderia Baldini 27.

Arthur Leclerc will soon begin running crucial miles for Scuderia Ferrari at the upcoming Barcelona circuit for a three-day Pirelli test session scheduled to kick off next week. The test will be a crucial step in tuning Ferrari’s preparations for the upcoming Formula 1 season. But that’s not the only thing in store for him. On January 29th, Arthur Leclerc will also get to experience the thrill of driving a Formula 1 car for the first time, as he will take on the driving duties of the 2022 F1-75.

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With the change in leadership of the FDA and significant driver movements, Ferrari might be onto something with the bigger picture in mind.

Ferrari aims to revitalize their Driver Academy in 2024

With the departure of James Wharton, the 2023 UAE Formula 4 champion, and Arthur Leclerc, Ferrari is looking set for a major shift in the FDA’s lineup for the upcoming season. Under the new leadership of Jock Clear, Ferrari recently concluded its Scouting World Finals to identify new talent, although no new drivers were added to the FDA with the promise to keep a close watch on the participants in the scouting tests.

British driver Oliver Bearman, who will take up the reserve driver role in F1, has also been confirmed for a second season in Formula 2. He will be seen alongside the highly-rated Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Meanwhile, Dino Beganovic and Rafael Camara will continue in Formula 3 and Formula Regional, respectively. Tuukka Taponen is set to step up to Formula Regional from Formula 4. Ferrari is also including two new female drivers in the FDA, Aurelia Nobels and Maya Weug for the upcoming season.

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With the change in leadership and a new driver lineup, Ferrari’s young talent program seems to be taking on a new direction. The upcoming seasons will show us how these changes will impact the Scuderia.