- Title: EXCLUSIVE - No vegan, but Leclerc is happy to investigate
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST AHEAD OF INTERVIEW AND BOTH TAKING SEAT LECLERC AT START OF INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "There's always talk about biofuels and new plant-based fuels coming in and everything else - are you interested in that? Because obviously, the environment at the moment is sort of a big talking point." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Yes, I am definitely interested in that. And I think Formula One should do the absolute maximum to try and go in that direction." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "You're not going to go vegan though, are you? Or maybe you are, I don't know." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "No, I'm not vegan. I'm obviously looking at all of these things and whatever I can do on my side to help that, I will. But on the other hand, I want to be at 100% in the physical form and I've got some programmes to follow, but obviously I'm looking into that too." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "It's interesting that Formula One is sort of just generally - the range of different approaches to training, to fitness, that different drivers are taking. I mean…" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Yes, I mean, I think (Mercedes driver) Lewis (Hamilton) is a good example of going vegan, if I'm not wrong. But yeah, at the moment, I think different drivers have different opinions on that. And at the moment, I'm just trying to follow the best way and the way I feel the best with myself. And yeah, I'm happy like that." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "Now, how do you assess how it's gone, this year? Better than expectations? What you were expecting?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Yes, I think better than expected. I obviously expected a very tough season coming to Ferrari, such a huge team with obviously Sebastian (Vettel) by my side. I saw it also as a huge opportunity to learn a lot from Seb (Vettel) and from the team in general. But it definitely went very, very well, obviously. Already in Bahrain we had a shot at pole and then at victory which didn't end up as we wanted, but it was close. Then it has been a bit of a more difficult path for myself personally, but I have been working pretty hard and then now since nine or 10 races it's been pretty good." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "What sort of lessons do you think you've learned? Because it seemed from listening to you on the radio sometimes that you've been pretty hard on yourself. You know, you've been kind of punishing yourself this season." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Yes, I've always been very hard on myself. It's the way that works with me. I don't like to hide the errors I make. Any time I'm doing a mistake, I'm just saying it. For me it's the easiest way and it's the easiest way to improve from that afterwards. I analyse everything I do on the track and whenever I see something I don't like I try to find the solution and that's why I'm so hard on myself." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "Is that gonna carry on?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Yes, it will. Yes, because it's the way I've always been. And as I said, it might be that for some drivers it doesn't work to be like that, but on my side I'm pretty sure this is the way forward. So, yes, I will stay like this." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "Would you do anything differently next year, do you think?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "Compared to this year, obviously this year, there have been some mistakes. Whether I would go back in the past to change them, I don't think so because I think you learn from mistakes, as I said. I think consistency will be extremely important next year if we've got the car to win the championship. So yeah, consistency will be key and I need to work on that." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS MOTOR RACING CORRESPONDENT, ALAN BALDWIN, SAYING: "Does that give you - I mean, how do you think this weekend is going to go and what do you feel about driving here for Ferrari?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERRARI DRIVER, CHARLES LECLERC, SAYING: "It's a very special track because we are very high in altitude. So yes, it's a bit different for the setup and things like that we need to consider. And it's also a very tough track for the car. So, we need to make sure reliability will be strong. But overall, I think as track characteristics, I think we should be quite good. There are long straights, our engine seems to be working pretty well. Our straight-line speed is good and our cornering speed now since some races is also good. So yeah, let's see how it goes but I'm feeling positive." LECLERC LEAVING AFTER INTERVIEW
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 00:42
- Keywords: Formula One Charles Leclerc Ferrari Mexican Grand Prix vegan veganism Lewis Hamilton
- Location: NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH
- City: NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Motor Racing,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BJCCF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Charles Leclerc likes a nice steak and is a long way from following Lewis Hamilton in going vegan but, like every Formula One driver, Ferrari's young ace is interested in any advantage he can get.
The 21-year-old Monegasque is therefore not ruling out making some changes to his diet after a season that has catapulted him into the spotlight as the Italian team's brightest young prospect.
Next season, if Ferrari can carry their gathering momentum into 2020, could even see Leclerc challenging for the championship after losing out to Hamilton's Mercedes outfit this year.
"I'm not vegan. I'm obviously looking at all of these things and whatever I can do on my side to help that, I will. But on the other hand, I want to be at 100% in the physical form and I've got some programmes to follow, but obviously I'm looking into that too," he told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday (October 23) at the Mexico City offices of Ferrari's long-standing fuel and oil partner Shell.
Five times world champion Hamilton recently stirred up a storm on social media with Instagram posts expressing despair at the state of the planet and urging people to go vegan.
He has spoken often of the benefits he feels of switching to a plant-based diet.
"I think Lewis is a good example of going vegan, if I'm not wrong. But yeah, at the moment, I think different drivers have different opinions on that. And at the moment, I'm just trying to follow the best way and the way I feel the best with myself," said Leclerc.
The Monegasque said he was also keen to see more use of bio-fuels, with talk of the sport increasing the content to 20% when new rules come into force in 2021.
"I am definitely interested in that. And I think Formula One should do the absolute maximum to try and go in that direction," he said.
On track, Leclerc has more than matched his team mate Sebastian Vettel this season and with four races remaining is ahead of the four times world champion on points, podiums, wins and poles.
His four poles in a row between Belgium and Russia took his tally to six for the season, drawing comparisons to Ferrari great Michael Schumacher.
If he has much to be proud of in his first season with the Italian team, for whom he is now their youngest race winner, Leclerc is also unrelenting in self-criticism.
He has called himself stupid over the team radio airwaves, and to shut up.
"I've always been very hard on myself. It's the way that works with me. I don't like to hide the errors I make. Any time I'm doing a mistake, I'm just saying it. For me it's the easiest way and it's the easiest way to improve from that afterwards," he explained.
Both Ferrari and their drivers have paid the price for mistakes and mechanical failures, against Mercedes rivals who rarely put a wheel wrong, and Leclerc said he and the team had work to do in 2020.
He would not want to undo this year's mistakes, however.
"Whether I would go back in the past to change them, I don't think so because I think you learn from mistakes, as I said. I think consistency will be extremely important next year if we've got the car to win the championship. So yeah, consistency will be key and I need to work on that," he said.
Ferrari go into Sunday's (October 27) Mexican Grand Prix with high hopes, literally at a track some 2,200 metres above sea level, and Leclerc recognised there was a chance of adding a third win to his season's tally.
"Overall I think as track characteristics, I think we should be quite good. There are long straights, our engine seems to be working pretty well. Our straight-line speed is good and our cornering speed now since some races is also good," he said.
"Let's see how it goes but I'm feeling positive."
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