Sauber sensation Charles Leclerc made the most of a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday to clinch sixth place and his first points in Formula One.
The Monaco native started his race from P13 on the grid, but skillfully pulled his way up to eighth early on before fending off Fernando Alonso to take a stunning sixth.
It was a emotional finish for the 20-year-old as 12 months ago he secured a GP2 victory around the same streets – just four days after his father Herve passed away.
Despite the emotional turmoil that would have ensued that day and even at the weekend when returning to Azerbaijan, Leclerc showcased the class that has been associated with his name since clinching the GP2 title last October.
The Monaco native grew up in a home steeped in motorsport and was even the godson of the late F1 driver Jules Bianchi who died after crashing in Suzuka in 2014.
Leclerc had first driven a kart at Bianchi’s track near Nice and the Frenchman had been both a mentor and close friend of the young Sauber driver.
The former GP2 and GP3 champion has demonstrated maturity beyond his years in dealing with the loss of Herve and Jules at such a young age and has gone on to develop remarkably as a driver and man.
In Baku on Sunday, the youngster drove smart in the treacherous conditions to bring Sauber its best race finish since Felipe Nasr at the Russia Grand Prix in 2015.
Remarkably, he drove more laps in the top-10 in Baku than his teammate Marcus Ericsson did for Sauber in the entire 2017 season.
Leclerc had started the race in P13, which in itself was a personal best grid slot having started from 18th, 19th and 19th in the first three races.
In fact his best finishes prior to Baku were 13th, 14th and 19th respectively – with Ericsson retiring in Australia and notching 9th and 16th places in Bahrain and China.
With Leclerc’s eight points added to the two that Ericsson netted in Bahrain, Sauber now have 10 points in the constructors’ championship – twice as many as they scored in the whole of 2017.
It may be a serious boost for a team lacking in ambition, but Leclerc’s biggest competition this season will be to overshadow 27-year-old Ericsson, who has spent four more years in the sport.
Whilst doing that it will open a shop window – as such – for a more experienced team to give Leclerc a better opportunity in a faster car when his contract expires in 2019.
Although he may struggle with a team who finished last in the drivers’ standings in 2017, he has to start from somewhere and this season is the perfect building block to his future development.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull will all be needing replacement drivers over the next three seasons so now is the perfect time for Leclerc to step up and continue to show his mettle as a rising star and future champion.
Baku may prove to be the start of something special for Leclerc.
