Charles Leclerc explains why business ventures are helping his F1 career

Charles Leclerc believes that expanding his portfolio of business ventures is helping him become a “more open-minded” Formula 1 driver, but insists his target of becoming world champion remains his absolute priority.

While many drivers wait until retirement to explore entrepreneurial interests, the Ferrari driver has actively begun building businesses and investing in companies outside of motorsport during his racing career.

Despite the added commitments, Leclerc is clear that his off-track projects do not compromise his focus on F1.

“99% of my time is dedicated to racing,” Leclerc said during an interview with Eight Sleep, which is a sleep technology brand that he has invested in. “I’m trying to be the best possible driver, thinking about racing, trying to make sure that the performance on track is the best.

“Racing is, and will remain, the main priority until the end of my career.”

He later added: “My only ambition now is to obviously be a world champion. This is all I’ve ever dreamed about, and this is all I’ve ever worked for.”

When asked about his motivation behind his business interests, the Monegasque driver explained: “Mostly because I love creativity and creating something from my vision is something that I particularly enjoy, but also because I love working with people. 

“And as I was saying earlier, speaking with people and trying to get the best out of people is really something that I am also passionate about. And to build a team and to all work towards the same mission and making a vision a reality is something that I really enjoy. 

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

“And that’s actually very similar to my sport as well, because we are all working towards the same goal. And to see so many people together pushing in the same direction and so passionate about making it work, is a beautiful thing to see.”

Leclerc credited his childhood spent at karting tracks and working with adults for his ability to build relationships with people.

“I think that is the relationship with people in general, understanding people and making sure that they are in the best environment for them to do their best possible job is super cool,” he said. “I started karting when I was three and a half years old, so I was a kid. And growing up with my sport, you always grow up with adults around because I had a mechanic who took care of my kart when I was driving.

“And there’s always this relationship with people where you need each other in order to perform well on track. And so growing up, I learned how to deal with people, how to understand people, how to speak with people, how to be sensitive to what they felt, and to make sure that you use the right words in the right moment in order to make sure that we all push in the right direction.

“Now you work with more and more and more and more people, and then you learn other things like structure and mentality and motivation. And I started racing because I loved racing first and foremost, and the driving. I was very surprised growing up that I actually enjoyed also the whole background and the actual relationships with people, which is what I really enjoy as well.”

The 28-year-old added that working with people in a business environment has made him more “open-minded”.

“To work in a business, in a different environment, to get to know different people who have different passions. And I think that opens up your mind. So yeah, it clearly made me a more open-minded person and that always helps.”

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