Ferrari's Arthur Leclerc eager to make Rolex 24 debut with AF Corse
Ferrari factory driver Arthur Leclerc hopes to be “in for the end” on Sunday for the final dash to the flag to cap off his Rolex 24 debut. The Monegasque driver, who is finding his feet in sportsca…
Ferrari factory driver Arthur Leclerc hopes to be “in for the end” on Sunday for the final dash to the flag to cap off his Rolex 24 debut.
The Monegasque driver, who is finding his feet in sportscars after pumping the brakes on his single-seater career at the end of the 2023 F2 season, is in Florida with AF Corse racing in the GTD class for the first time. Following his call-up to drive one of Ferrari’s factory 499Ps in the post-season FIA WEC Rookie Test at the end of last year, getting the chance to compete as part of its eight-car Daytona attack with the 296 GT3 to start 2025, he told RACER, is a privilege.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a race that’s been on his radar since he dipped his toes into endurance racing for the first time last year in the European Le Mans Series’ LMP2 class with Panis Racing and Italian GT with Scuderia Baldini.
He’s been lapping up the experience since arriving last week for the Roar test weekend and is fully aware that impressing Ferrari’s higher-ups in races like this one could prove key as he carves out a career in endurance racing. After his brief tryout with the Hypercar team in the Middle East back in November, he now has an eye on Le Mans glory.
“I have wanted to do this event since I started in this type of racing, and I can’t thank Antonello (Coletta, Ferrari’s sportscar boss) for the chance,” he said. “It’s so different to European racing here; the atmosphere is great, and the fans are so nice.
“It’s also interesting racing while looking in the mirror all the time and getting passed by prototypes. It’s easier than in Europe in traffic because of the spotters we have here who tell you when a car is coming behind. The only difficulty is at night, when you can only see lights and don’t know if it’s a GT or a Hypercar behind.
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“The track overall, is quite good. I thought it would be harder to race on the speedway on the banking, but actually it’s tougher staying on the banking during the track walk.”
Leclerc is sharing the No. 50 296 GT3 with three new teammates: ELMS race winner Conrad Laursen and 2024 Le Mans Cup championship runners-up Riccardo Agostini and Custodio Toledo.
Coming together as a unit for a high-profile race like this is a challenge, but Leclerc feels the amount of track time across the test weekend and practice sessions during the week has ensured he and his co-drivers all feel comfortable together ahead of the race.
“I’ve spent a lot of time discovering my teammates. It’s a good opportunity to help the Bronze (graded) Custodio and Conrad who is a Silver,” he said. “They’ve made massive progress, and I feel they’ll be strong.
“But I think in outright speed we are struggling a bit. We are working on it to get a better car for the race. The most important thing is to avoid errors and stupid penalties.
“It should be a lot of fun. Hopefully, I will do the end of the race, but I will have to wait to find out what the final plan is.”