Monegasque teenager Charles Leclerc is to drive for Haas F1 in FP1 sessions at Silverstone, Hungaroring, Hockenheim, Sepang and Abu Dhabi.
The 18-year-old GP3 racer and Ferrari protégé will replace Esteban Gutierrez on each occasion, meaning that the Mexican driver will get less seat time than teammate Romain Grosjean on those five weekends. Leclerc is managed by Nicolas Todt, who also looks after Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to get seat time in a Formula One car and I can’t thank Haas F1 Team and Esteban enough,” said Leclerc. “I’m honored by the faith Haas F1 Team and Ferrari have in me. This is an important step toward my ultimate goal of becoming a Formula One driver.”
“Charles Leclerc is highly regarded by Ferrari and his record speaks for itself,” said team boss Guenther Steiner. “We’re happy to provide this opportunity and help develop the next generation of Formula One drivers. Credit also goes to Esteban for sharing his race car and serving as a mentor to Charles.”
