“A lot of things to discover” says Leclerc on F3 testing debut

Arthur Leclerc may have just gone to the top of the Formula Regional European Championship, after a triple win in Mugello, but there was no time for the Monegasque to celebrate as he was straight on a plane to Barcelona for his maiden Formula 3 test.

Leclerc - who is the younger brother of 2017 Formula 2 Champion Charles – is enjoying his first taste of F3 with his Formula Regional team PREMA Racing, competing in both days of post-season testing in Barcelona.

Speaking on the back of his first session, Leclerc says his focus has firmly shifted to F3 despite enjoying a very successful weekend in Italy.

“This morning was quite difficult. The car is new, and the track is new as well, so there were a lot of things to discover. The management of the tyres is the key so we will continue to work on that.”

Leclerc finished 14th in the first morning of testing, highlighting a number of key differences between the PREMA car he is accustomed to, and the faster, more powerful F3 beast.

“There is a lot of aero and you can bring a lot more speed into the entry of corners,” he continued.

“It is really, really important to warm up the tyres in order to have a proper push lap, so there is a lot more work to do. This afternoon, we will do a race run, which will be quite interesting to see.”