Leclerc: No added pressure from F1 links

Ferrari protege Charles Leclerc insists he does not feel any added pressure despite being linked with an F1 seat in 2018.

Having won last year's GP3 championship, Leclerc has been in stunning form in Formula 2 this year, currently leading the standings by 50 points. The Prema driver has been exceptional in qualifying, securing pole position at every round, but had his victory streak end at six after being disqualified from the results in Hungary last time out.

The performances have prompted Ferrari to push on with plans to promote Leclerc into an F1 seat next season, with RACER understanding that a deal for him to drive for Sauber is provisionally in place.

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"The results in this first part of the season have been better than expected and we're clearly delighted about that," Leclerc told the official Formula 1 website. "Seeing my name in the media more often and having it linked to Formula 1 and Ferrari is nice, but it's not putting any extra pressure on me.

"I am focusing on what I have to do with Prema, leaving others to think about my future."

And Leclerc insists there is no risk of him losing focus in the F2 title race, because he is aware that failure to secure the championship from this position would prove costly to his future hopes to drive for Ferrari.

"There's never a day goes by when I don't think about what I want to achieve and I always give a hundred percent to get there," he said. "Being in Formula 1 is my dream and my goal, and I am doing everything I can to make it happen.

"Yes, it's true, racing for the Scuderia would be the realization of a dream. But for now I have to focus solely on winning in F2, on giving it my all over the next few months. If I don't succeed, then I won't really go much further."

Leclerc got his first taste of 2017 F1 machinery during the post-race test at the Hungaroring earlier this month, driving for Ferrari on the opening day and setting the fastest time late in the afternoon session.