Charles Leclerc has revealed that he feared he might miss a unique opportunity to share the track with his younger brother Arthur in Friday's opening practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after suffering an unexpected bout of food poisoning overnight.
Despite the setback, the eight-time Grand Prix winner pushed through to make motorsport history alongside Arthur, marking the first time two brothers had driven together in an official Formula 1 session as teammates.
Arthur Leclerc was assigned to FP1 duties by Ferrari as part of the team's rookie requirements for 2024, and for the 24-year-old charger it was the chance to fulfill a childhood dream.
However, their moment was nearly unraveled when Charles' well-being took a turn for the worse.
“It all started unfortunately last night where I got food poisoning and I couldn't sleep all night, I'm so tired, I just want to sleep now,” he explained.
“It wasn't so easy and this morning I didn't feel like I wanted to drive but obviously the huge motivation of the day was doing FP1 with my brother.
“This was a dream that came true today for both of us, for all of our family that traveled all the way from Monaco to see that.
“It was a very emotional moment and I definitely had to put the helmet on very early because I also was emotional and that is when things started to go wrong unfortunately.”
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Indeed, Ferrari discovered an issue with the energy store in Charles' SF-24 just as the car fired up ahead of the session. This delayed his exit from the garage and added to his mounting frustration.
“As soon as we fired up the car we saw there was a problem with the energy storage,” he said.
“There were lots of things going through my head, first was: 'Am I going to drive this FP1 with my brother, which is a unique opportunity?', and obviously also the championship, that makes our weekend a lot more difficult, but that doesn't demotivate me at all.”
Charles managed to rally through the practice session, drawing strength from the significance of the occasion.
“I feel a little bit better tonight already, and I'll have a good night's sleep, and I'll come back tomorrow with the battery fully recharged – not trying to play a [pun]!” he said.
“But yeah, hopefully we'll have a great day tomorrow, and then have an amazing recovery on Sunday.”
On the other side of the Ferrari garage, Arthur embraced his debut in a Formula 1 car with enthusiasm and emotion, thrilled to share the track with Charles.
“He took a bit more time to get out of the pit, but it was just amazing, full of emotion,” Arthur said.
“I was seeing in the last lap he was behind and pushing. I was seeing him in the mirror trying to put the pressure – but obviously it didn't work!
“Then we had a small wave, and in the end, I could wave to him, which was a good moment in the family.”
Arthur's session, which focused on aero work and soft-tire runs, gave him his first taste of a current F1 car's capabilities. While I enjoyed the immense grip of the soft tires, I acknowledged the challenges of adapting to their degradation.
“It's incredible. It was so cool because obviously it's giving a lot of grip,” he said.
“But as well, the second lap, you straight away have a massive deg which, as a new driver, is a bit tricky, as you don't have such a constant balance and such a constant grip,” he explained.
“My neck is a bit sore!” he admitted with a laugh, highlighting the physical demands of driving at motorsport's highest level.
The presence of the brothers' mother, Pascale, in the Ferrari garage made the moment even more special. Charles and Arthur both acknowledged the deep significance of the occasion for their family, who have made countless sacrifices to support their motorsport ambitions.
The Leclerc brothers' historic FP1 session not only celebrated their shared journey but also highlighted the emotional bonds that drive their passion for racing.
As Charles continues his fight in the championship and Arthur charts his own path, their experience in Abu Dhabi is sure to remain a cherished memory for the entire Leclerc family.
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