Following the advice of others 'extremely important' for Leclerc

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Sauber's Charles Leclerc believes a humble attitude and the ability to heed advice have greatly helped him during his maiden campaign in Grand Prix racing.

From his karting days to his journey through the junior ranks of motorsport, the 20-year-old has enjoyed a mercurial rise and one that is likely just starting, with Leclerc moving on to a plum Ferrari driver next season.

As one of the sport's brightest talents, the Monegasque's success is hardly surprising, but he's also blending a strong head with his outstanding skills, and he insists it's not just about self-confidence.

Leclerc races with two very special people always on his mind

"Obviously you need to be confident that you can do it," Leclerc said about his racing ambitions.

"But you also need to be very humble and accept that sometimes you need to change the things and listen to the people [who have been] in the sport for a long time for you to change that type of things.

"I’m always very open-minded in any kind of tips or things that I need to change on track or where can I get better. I think this helps a lot. Probably the biggest thing is to listen to people

"I’ve had it [advice] from different people telling me to keep the feet on the ground and always work. That’s something extremely important.

"There’s a lot of attention compared to Formula 2 and to think straight away ‘okay I’ve done it’, which is not the right mentality, so this is probably one of the [biggest] advice that helped me."

A promotion from Sauber to Ferrari will put Leclerc in an even brighter limelight, but he doesn't think it will impact his general attitude or approach to his racing.

"I think then it depends on different personalities and on different people," he explained.

"I don’t personally think I am like this and I don’t think I will ever become like this.

"You change a bit as a person because you are trying to protect from people that want to be your friend from one day to another just because of the success you are having, but apart from that I wouldn’t change."

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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.