Charles Leclerc overjoyed by ‘special’ chance to drive alongside his brother in Abu Dhabi as he opens up on family's sacrifice

Charles Leclerc has expressed his pride at sharing the track with his younger brother Arthur in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, opening up on the years of sacrifice it has taken for the pair to reach this momentous point.

The 24-year-old will be one of six rookie drivers taking part in FP1 as teams seek to fulfil their commitment of giving two young racers a chance to drive on track during a race weekend.

Arthur is no stranger to Ferrari – after leaving their Academy in 2023, he became a development driver with the squad, balancing this role with a campaign in the European Le Mans series and Italian GT Championship.

His outing in Abu Dhabi will be his free practice debut, although he has previously tested the Italian team’s 2022 F1-75 at their private track in Maranello, and has a wealth of experience on their simulators.

Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Arthur Leclerc talk in the Paddock ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 05, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — Arthur has been part of the Ferrari family since 2020, when he was signed to the Ferrari Driver Academy

Speaking about the emotion of driving with his brother in Abu Dhabi, Charles said: “I just want him to have a good session. We spoke about it but he’s my brother – I don’t have to speak to him to know what he feels or what he thinks and I know he’s going to do a great job.

“He’s been exceptional on the simulator this year and he has helped us so much. It’s going to be a super good exercise to correlate that with the virtual laps he does quite often on the sim and it’s going to be a very special moment for him. So I hope everything will go well and I’m really happy.”

It will be the first time in history that brothers have competed as team mates in a Formula 1 session, and is the culmination of years of determination from the entire Leclerc family to get the siblings to the top level of motorsport.

“It’s very special because I also know the whole background of how did he get there, how did we get there,” the 27-year-old explained. “Obviously our parents have done a lot of sacrifices for both of us to pursue our dream.

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“He had to stop that dream for three or four years because my father couldn’t withstand the investment that was required for him to continue. I was the only one to continue in the family. My younger brother wanted to do just the same as me and he restarted a few years later when I was supported by my manager Nicolas Todt.

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“And I have seen how hurt my father was when he had to say to Arthur that he had to stop racing because we didn’t have the finance behind it. To know that tomorrow he will be in FP1 with me will be a very special moment – not only for both of us but I think for the whole family.

“For my mum, she will be travelling here tomorrow to see the FP1 so it will be a very emotional moment, but I’m looking forward to it. He deserves it and I’m really happy for him.”

The session, which will take place at 1330 local time on Friday, December 6, will be a crucial opportunity for Ferrari to start the weekend on the front foot as they aim to overhaul a 21-point deficit to McLaren in the constructors’ standings.