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Bianchi help in mind for Ferrari debutant Leclerc

Ferrari debutant Charles Leclerc says he retains the lessons he was taught by Jules Bianchi as he targets a career in F1.

Leclerc made his F1 debut for Haas during FP1 at the British Grand Prix before getting his first taste of Ferrari machinery on Tuesday during the in-season test. Leclerc was close to Bianchi - who died last year following a crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix - and says he is trying to use the experience passed on by the Frenchman to help him impress.

“I knew him from when I was really, really young," Leclerc said. “He was my godfather and he helped me with most of things in racing. Obviously now it’s hard without him because he always helped me, and I miss his help.

“He advised me really well in the past, and all his comments he gave me in the past I keep them in mind and try not to make the errors he told me not to do.”

Leclerc admitted his first day in the Ferrari was "special", despite having already driven an F1 car on Friday.

“Yeah, it’s special, and I’m only 18, so it’s even more special. When I was six years old I was always looking at the red car on the track, so it’s unbelievable to be here, and I’m really thankful.”

And the GP3 championship leader says it has been good experience for him to be able to carry out contrasting programs for Haas and Ferrari.

“It’s two different things. In FP1 that was mostly for the team because they had a weekend after and I had to work for them and do as many kilometres for them as possible.

“Today was a long day so we could plan it a bit better, but both have been amazing. It’s still be good to get experience in two different Formula 1 cars. The more cars I try, the different ways I see of working, the more experience I get. It’s always good to try some things.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.