Charles Leclerc is ‘not looking forward’ to breaking one of Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari records

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Charles Leclerc is “not looking forward” to eclipsing Michael Schumacher as the driver with the most Grand Prix starts with Ferrari, as he has still not won the Formula 1 title.

The 28-year-old moved into second place in the list of drivers with the most race starts with Ferrari last time out at the Miami Grand Prix. Leclerc has now contested a total of 154 races for the Scuderia since he replaced Kimi Raikkonen back in 2019, for his second season in F1.

Only Schumacher has ever contested more races for the pride of Italy than Leclerc has, after the seven-time F1 champion started a total of 180 races for Ferrari between 1996 and 2006. Schumacher also won five titles in red, after sealing the crown each year from 2000 to 2004.

Leclerc joined Ferrari from Sauber in 2019 after proving his credentials with the Swiss squad, whom the Scuderia placed their protege at having been a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2016. He lifted the 2016 GP3 and 2017 F2 titles as a rookie with Ferrari’s backing, too.

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Charles Leclerc is not ‘looking forward’ to beating Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari race record

Leclerc finds it “strange” to have made the second-most race starts for Ferrari, and he adds that he would not like to be remembered for the record if he does surpass Schumacher. The Monegasque’s goal firmly remains to win a drivers’ title for Ferrari, not to rack up the races.

READ MORE: The best moments of Charles Leclerc’s career in Formula 1

Leclerc said, via RacingNews365: “It’s strange. I still feel very young, and I remember my first year at Ferrari just like yesterday. But it’s special.”

He added: “But I wouldn’t love to be remembered as the most experienced driver of Ferrari. I would love to be remembered as a world champion for Ferrari, and this is still to be done.

“That’s where my focus is at. I didn’t really know about this stat, actually. I’m not really looking forward to becoming the first, but I just want to win a world championship. That’s what I’m trying and working for every day, and I hope that this day will come.”

Leclerc sealed his highest-ever finish in the F1 drivers’ standings during the 2022 season, as Ferrari’s strong start to the ground-effect era initially propelled him into the title fight. It was ultimately a short-lived title fight, as Red Bull out-developed Ferrari as Max Verstappen won.

Another drivers’ title fight could yet await Leclerc in 2026, as Ferrari have adapted well to F1 revamping the engine, aerodynamic and chassis regulations this year. But Ferrari know their engine is worse than Mercedes’ and are keen to introduce upgrades to bridge a 20hp deficit.

Leclerc even cost himself a chance to score more points in Miami last weekend, having spun out of P4 before drawing a 20s penalty that dropped him to P8 in the final order. Leclerc put “a very strong race in the bin” in Miami after he spun trying to put pressure on Oscar Piastri.