Charles Leclerc says 2019 "significantly better than what I expected"

Charles Leclerc is pleased with how his first season with Ferrari has gone. The Monegasque racer qualified on pole seven times throughout the season, the most of any other driver on the grid. 

"If you had said at the start of the season that I would take seven poles and ten podiums, I would not have believed it," said Leclerc to MotorsportWeek. “It is significantly better than what I expected, but looking back at the year, I still see the necessary mistakes. The goal is therefore to learn to understand it better."

However, it has not been all positive for Ferrari and they will be looking to fix things ahead of 2020. 

“It has not been an easy season, but I am nevertheless satisfied with it. We struggled in the first half of the year, but we managed to improve in the second half. I have had two fantastic wins and Monza was everything I had dreamed of. To be there on the highest stage with thousands of Ferrari fans below me is an experience that I will not soon forget. 

“This was my first season with a top team and I made some mistakes in that. That ultimately cost us valuable points towards the end of the season. I will analyze all my mistakes to prevent recurrence. That way I can come back stronger next season!”

Leclerc beat his four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel in 2019 and will hope to impress again and push on in the new year.