Charles Leclerc's brother lands new racing gig after F1 dream left in ruins

Arthur Leclerc, brother of F1 icon Charles, will get behind the wheel of a Formula E car at the upcoming Berlin E-Prix rookie test. The Monegasque racer was hoping to follow his sibling onto the grid but was reduced to a simulator driver role in 2024. The 24-year-old was previously a member of the Ferrari driver academy and enjoyed support from the Scuderia throughout his junior career.

However, following a second-place finish in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2020 and an encouraging rookie Formula Three campaign the following year, his progress tailed off. Despite winning the Silverstone feature race in 2022, Leclerc was a step behind the likes of Victor Martins, Zane Maloney, and future F1 stars Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar in the title battle. Then, after graduating to Formula Two, he finished 19th in his rookie campaign following a miserable season.

At the end of the 2023 season, he was dropped from the Ferrari driver academy, spelling the end of his F1 dream, although the brother of the No.16 car's driver remains with the organisation as a simulator driver, working in the background in Maranello. He also enjoyed a debut FP1 session in Abu Dhabi last year.

Now, though, Leclerc is looking at a new opportunity. The Monegasque racer was handed a seat with Maserati MSG Racing for the upcoming Formula E rookie test, returning to the squad for whom he was a test and reserve driver in 2019. "It feels good to be back in Formula E, especially with my home team," he said.

"It will be the first time that I will drive the Gen3 Evo so I am looking forward to seeing the evolution compared to the previous generation that I tested a few years ago. I want to give a big thank you to Maserati MSG Racing for the opportunity and I can't wait to start working with the team in Berlin!"

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Partnering Leclerc in the Maserati rookie test line-up is Theo Pourchaire, whose career has taken an unexpected turn since his F2 title triumph failed to land him an F1 seat with Sauber. After a brief foray into the world of IndyCar, he is looking for a long-term motorsport home.

Pourchaire isn't the only intriguing name in the rookie test line-up. Frederik Vesti, Jak Crawford and Dino Beganovic will all appear after making recent FP1 appearances with Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari, respectively.

Then there is Abbi Pulling, who stormed to the F1 Academy title in 2024, turning heads with her performances. The young Brit will team up with Alpine junior prodigy Gabriele Mini to form Nissan's duo in Berlin.