The third episode of “Box Box Box” the Pirelli Formula 1 vodcast is now on-line

Leclerc: “Hamilton at Ferrari? A big motivation for me”
 

Charles Leclerc has often said he would love the chance to go head to head with Lewis Hamilton on equal terms, which is exactly what he will be able to do next year when the seven time world champion will be his team-mate at Ferrari. Leclerc talked about it when he spoke to “Box Box Box” which is on-line as from today on the the Pirelli YouTube channel. “On the one hand I’ll be able to learn from Lewis in the same car, which is fantastic,” reckons the Monegasque, “and on the other, I will try and show what I can do in the same car.” Charles also said he has great faith in the Maranello-based team. “I am sure Ferrari will be the next team to win the world championship. All we have to do is continue to work hard.”

The theme of the third episode is dedication, a key requirement for success in motorsport, both for the drivers and those in other roles. Examples of this can be found in the interviews with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA (International Automobile Federation) and with the man who runs the department that designs, produces and manages the essential element that is the only contact patch between race cars and the ground, namely the tyres, Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Director of Motorsport.

“It’s just my family and the FIA,” says President Ben Sulayem, second to none when it comes to dedication to his role. He talks about his love of motorsport, as someone who has won the Middle East rally championship no fewer than 14 times, and what he feels the priorities are for Formula 1 in the near future – “sustainability and making the cars more exciting. You can’t just say, oh it’s all about speed, because sport is not what it used to be, now you need excitement and entertainment alongside the spirit of the sport and the business side.”

The extent of Pirelli’s involvement is clear from the numbers Mario Isola comes up with for a Grand Prix weekend – “when we also have all the support events, we bring over 3000 tyres, 1800 for Formula 1 alone.” He also reveals that Pirelli is involved in over 230 championships across all disciplines around the world. Isola has loved motorsport since he was a kid and his inspiration came from a driver who never actually won very much, but still left an indelible mark on the sport: Gilles Villeneuve.

“Box Box Box” runs over six episodes, each one with a specific theme – Speed, Education, Dedication, Time, Adrenalin, Challenge – that serves as the common thread as several of the main players in the motorsport’s blue riband category chat with Tom Clarkson one of the best known journalists and interviewers, who has worked in Formula 1 for almost thirty years.

The two previous episodes – Speed and Education – featured Max Verstappen, Nikolas Tombazis, Andrea Stella, Bruno Michel, Oliver Bearman and Ian Holmes and can be found on YouTube and on Spotify. Upcoming episodes, on-line every Tuesday up to 3 December, will feature Stefano Domenicali, Valtteri Bottas, Christian Horner, Alex Albon, Gunther Steiner and other well known and lesser known faces from the Formula 1 paddock.

(Video)