What a unique greeting.
Charles Leclerc and his younger sibling, Arthur, made quite an entrance on Friday by driving alongside each other in identical Ferraris at the conclusion of the initial practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“Just saying hello to my brother,” Arthur communicated to the team via radio after Charles acknowledged him with a wave during their cooldown lap at the Yas Marina Circuit.
While it’s not uncommon for brothers to race in F1—take for example, Michael and Ralf Schumacher, both of whom have claimed victories—F1 confirmed that the Leclerc siblings from Monaco are the first to serve as teammates during an official session within a championship race weekend.
The 24-year-old Arthur Leclerc, who has prior experience in Formula 2, was using Carlos Sainz Jr.’s Ferrari because teams are required to provide budding and less experienced drivers with practice opportunities at least twice per season.
Charles Leclerc shared that their family had traveled to Abu Dhabi to witness the momentous occasion.
“It will be a very special moment,” he expressed in a team statement earlier this week. “Because to a certain extent, it means that all the sacrifices my family made will have served a purpose.”
Reportedly, the family had to halt Arthur’s racing aspirations during his teenage years due to the financial strain of supporting Charles during his ascent to F1.
In the first practice session, Charles set the fastest time but faced an early challenge when Ferrari had to replace the battery pack in his car, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty for the upcoming race and a significant blow to the team’s ambition of surpassing McLaren in the constructors’ standings.
Arthur, on the other hand, spent the initial segment of the session with his car equipped with an “aero rake” — a framework installed with sensors designed to measure airflow. He concluded the session in 18th position out of 20 drivers, trailing his brother’s time by 1.858 seconds.
As the final race of the season, Abu Dhabi is a favored venue for testing younger drivers, as teams are usually well-acquainted with vehicle setup for varied conditions, regardless of driver feedback.
Additionally, five other teams utilized practice time for racers who won’t participate in Sunday’s event, including F2 driver Isack Hadjar in champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and former F2 titleholder Felipe Drugovich stepping in for Lance Stroll at Aston Martin.
Alpine’s Jack Doohan is also expected to make his race debut on Sunday.
