For most Ferrari drivers, simply being compared to the great Michael Schumacher would be enough to build a legend, but for Charles Leclerc, that seems secondary to his unfulfilled ambition.
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The Monegasque driver is quietly approaching one of the most symbolic records in the modern history of the Scuderia Ferrari.
Schumacher, architect of Ferrari’s golden age, competed in 180 Grands Prix with the Italian team between 1996 and 2006, a colossal total at a time when seasons had far fewer races than today.
Still young
Leclerc, now firmly embedded in Ferrari’s long-term project, has already started 154 races under the red colors. With a contract expected to keep him at Maranello at least until 2029, surpassing Schumacher during the 2027 season seems almost inevitable.
But when this statistic was mentioned to him, Leclerc’s reaction was anything but triumphant: “It’s strange. I still feel very young, and I feel like my first year at Ferrari was yesterday. But it’s special.”
In his words, there is respect but no obsession. Because for Leclerc, accumulating starts means nothing without the only achievement that really counts at Ferrari, namely winning the world title: “I wouldn’t like to be remembered as Ferrari’s most experienced driver. I would like to be remembered as a world champion with Ferrari, and that remains to be achieved.”
“That’s where all my focus is,” assures the Monegasque. “I didn’t even really know that statistic. I’m not trying to become number one in that regard, I just want to win a world championship. That’s what I work for every day, and I hope that moment will come.”
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Overwhelming dominance
This statement perfectly sums up Leclerc’s journey at Ferrari. Since his arrival in 2019, he has become the emotional face of the Scuderia’s rebuilding: adored by the tifosi, extremely fast over a lap, but also often burdened with the weight of expectations from the most legendary and demanding team in F1.
Yet, despite his flashes of brilliance, the most important trophy still eludes his record: the drivers’ championship. And this is precisely where the parallel with Schumacher becomes delicate. Because Ferrari’s history primarily remembers its champions.
Schumacher gave Ferrari five world titles and transformed the team into a dominant machine in the early 2000s. Leclerc, on the other hand, could enter a very different category: that of a great driver who became one of Ferrari’s most loyal servants without having won the Grail.
Child of Ferrari
The Scuderia’s team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, assures that neither he nor Leclerc really pay attention to these statistics: “Charles has been part of the team for a very long time. He was already in the Ferrari Academy before going to Sauber and then returning to Ferrari. He plays an important role in performance, of course as a driver, but also in development, cohesion, and team spirit. I’m not a big fan of statistics. We are much more focused on short-term performance than on numbers for 2027 or beyond.”
This urgency is becoming increasingly strong. Ferrari’s modern project has largely been built around Leclerc’s best years. And history is full of great drivers who waited too long for Ferrari’s return to the top, like Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel.
For now, Leclerc continues to get closer to Schumacher’s record every Grand Prix weekend. But at Ferrari, no one will really consider this record important if the “world titles” column remains empty. And judging by Leclerc himself, neither will he.
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