Battling childhood hero in Baku felt 'crazy' for Leclerc

40

Sauber's Charles Leclerc says that mixing it up with the big boys in Baku - and particularly Fernando Alonso - was as special as the first championship points he conquered while doing it.

The Monegasque put in a flawless drive on Sunday, launching his race from P13, after impressively making the Q2 cut on Saturday, and securing early on a spot in the top ten.

The high point of his afternoon was undoubtedly battling Alonso for position and passing the McLaren driver down the inside of Turn 1 on lap 26 as he took full advantage of his fresher tyres.

F1i's Driver Ratings for the Azerbaijan GP

"I mean, Fernando was a driver I was watching when I was five years old in Monaco, so to race with him today is quite crazy," said a beaming Leclerc on Sunday.

"And yeah, to have been able to fight with him - okay, we had a tyre advantage, but even at the end of the race we were looking strong compared to McLaren.

"During the whole race we were looking strong compared to them. It's a great boost for the future."

Before putting one over on Alonso, Leclerc had raced on a par with the Red Bulls while also keeping Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at bay, a state of affairs which astonished the 20-year-old.

"I had a point of reference, they weren't pulling away from us. It was quite a big surprise in the car, seeing that," he added.

"I also had Kimi behind, I think he had some damage, but we could keep him behind, which was also very, very strange."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.