Arthur Leclerc looks back on "dream" experience with Ferrari 499P Hypercar in Bahrain rookie test

Today at 01:33 PM

Ferrari junior Arthur Leclerc reflected on his experience driving Ferrari's 499P in the recent FIA World Endurance Championship post-season rookie test in Bahrain, calling the opportunity "special" after topping the charts among the new participants on Sunday.

The young Monegasque, who is the younger brother of Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc, set an impressive lap time of 1:50.460 during the afternoon session, bringing him within a narrow 0.055-second margin of the day's fastest driver, Jules Gounon, who led the pack for Alpine.

This season, Arthur Leclerc has taken on multiple roles with Ferrari, currently serving as an F1 development driver while also racing a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the Italian GT Championship. Alongside these commitments, he has competed in the European Le Mans Series for LMP2 team Panis Racing, showcasing his versatility and commitment to building a varied racing career.

"It was a good day. First to familiarize myself with the car was key, because it is completely different from what I am used to. But I think I did pretty well and the team gave me the right support to do so. I was feeling quite good. It feels special to be here in the Hypercar that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and for that to be a Ferrari, which has been my dream since I was young, it's even a better feeling." – the Ferrari junior explained at the end of the Bahrain test.

When asked about his personal fastest lap, Arthur Leclerc replied: "I was struggling with traffic, so it was a bit tricky to do a clean lap, but I think the car is thanks to the amazing work of Ferrari. It's not the first year of the car and you can feel this behind the wheel. It's a good car that gives you a lot of confidence to push, so I just had to extract it." – he pointed out.

Arthur Leclerc noted that the weight of the Hypercar compared to the LMP2 and single-seater vehicles he's accustomed to, paired with the 499P's exceptional straight-line speed, created an intense, eye-opening experience. The shift in handling and dynamics made a clear impression on him, especially given that he hadn't been able to rely on much preparatory work in Ferrari's simulator beforehand.

Nonetheless, Arthur Leclerc had valuable guidance from experienced Ferrari drivers. Nicklas Nielsen set up the No. 50 car during the morning session, giving him a well-prepared machine to take over, and Antonio Fuoco, both an F1 simulator driver for Ferrari and a close friend of Leclerc's brother Charles, provided additional advice, helping Arthur acclimate to the Hypercar's unique demands. This support network, the Ferrari Driver Academy member emphasized, was key in navigating the transition smoothly despite his limited preparation time.

"It's a completely different way of driving. Small mistakes can cost a lot in Hypercar. You can miss the braking point by two metres and end up ten metres wide! Things are a little bit heavy and costly. It's quite a challenge to drive this car. I think I progressed a lot during the day. It's a huge amount of information to deal with in one day. Everything is completely different and the last sessions are where you extract most from the car. It was quite good. I am happy with the job I did." – Arthur Leclerc continued.

During the Ferrari Finali Mondiali last month, Antonello Coletta, Ferrari's global head of endurance racing, made it clear that Arthur Leclerc is not expected to join the team's three-car Hypercar lineup as soon as 2025. Instead, Leclerc’s career path will likely continue in GT racing, where Ferrari sees him developing further.

Nevertheless, in Bahrain, Arthur Leclerc expressed a strong interest in eventually racing the 499P in the World Endurance Championship. While his current trajectory remains in the GT categories, Leclerc made it clear that he still has his sights set on competing in Ferrari's Hypercar at the WEC in the future.

"Obviously I want to one day drive the Hypercar – whether that's next year, in two years, three years, whatever. Racing in Hypercar would be my dream. I would love to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and even more so with Ferrari, which is the team I have dreamed about since I was young.”

Ferdinando Cannizzo, Ferrari’s head of endurance race cars, noted that Arthur Leclerc did not have the advantage of new tires for his final runs, as he was using a set of Mediums that already had "at least 15-20 laps" on them. Despite this, Leclerc's performance left a strong impression on Ferdinando Cannizzo, who was equally impressed by the efforts of other drivers testing Ferrari's Hypercar for the first time.

Among them was Ferrari's factory GT driver Thomas Neubauer, who piloted one of the two 499Ps on Sunday, and Phil Hanson, recently confirmed as the driver for the third-string No. 83 AF Corse entry for the upcoming 2025 season. Ferdinando Cannizzo highlighted the contributions of each driver during the testing session, underlining their adaptation to the Hypercar and how they handled its unique demands on track.

Ferdinando Cannizzo remarked that all the drivers involved in the day's testing performed well, despite the challenges of adapting to a new car that differed significantly from what they were accustomed to. Although Hanson had prior experience with a Hypercar, it was on a different platform, so he also encountered some new aspects during the session.

For the Ferrari team, the day offered valuable insights, as each driver's unique perspective contributed to a broader understanding of the car's performance. Overall, Cannizzo found the test session to be highly informative and productive.

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