It’s a well-known surname in motorsport and for Arthur Leclerc, there’s nobody in his career that has influenced him more than his family. But each influence has had a differing impact in shaping him and his career.

The PREMA Racing driver goes through the up and down journey he’s experienced en route to the Formula 3 grid, his battles on and off the track and what he might have been up to if a career in motorsport had not panned out.

Father

"I didn’t have the opportunity to drive early on and continue up the ranks because we didn’t have enough money when I was younger, but my father transmitted the passion of motorsport to me. I think quite a lot of it was during the time we spent at the karting track of Jules Bianchi.

"It was my first step into karting with my father. Working out the approach and the way to do it, that came from him teaching it to us. He’s the first person that comes to mind when I think about impact on my racing."

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Uncle

“When my father unfortunately died, I didn’t have the money to do motorsport but my uncle, he raised his hand and helped me to make it. It’s thanks to him that I got to do my first season in Formula 4 despite no experience in motorsport racing cars.

“It was quite a bet to do it, but it worked out really well. I was fighting with the likes of Théo Pourchaire, a lot of people who are racing now. It was quite fun because I was watching their races on TV and now, I was in the middle of it all.”

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Lorenzo & Charles

“My two brothers are supporting me a lot to continue racing, they are behind me and know my story, helping me to drive. If you asked me at 16 years-old, I would never think I’d be back in racing. It’s great fun to be back here. It doesn’t feel normal to be here and it’s feeling great to be here, I have great motivation to push for titles. If it wasn’t for racing, I don’t know what I’d be doing. When I wasn’t driving, I was doing the simulator. Everything was focused on racing without being able to do it. So watching my brother’s races and watching the other drivers racing, that has driven me more.

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“The fun thing was, I used to be playing PlayStation with Victor Martins and seeing him like a God. He was winning a lot of races in karting and meanwhile I was going to school, doing no motorsport at all. It was weird driving with him on track. Outside of motorsport, I don’t know what I’d be doing, maybe sim racing.”