Young Leclerc to Replace Ferrari’s Raikkonen Next Season

Young Monaco driver Charles Leclerc will replace Finnish veteran Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season with the former world champion returning to Sauber, both Formula One teams announced on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Leclerc -- a Ferrari Driver Academy graduate -- was the 2017 Formula 2 champion, and made his debut in F1 this season with the Sauber team, AFP reported on Tuesday.

“Scuderia Ferrari announces that, at the end of the 2018 season, Kimi Raikkonen will step down from his current role,” the team said in a statement. “... in the next Formula One racing season, Charles Leclerc will drive for the team alongside Sebastian Vettel”.

“Dreams do come true,” Leclerc posted on Twitter. “I’ll be driving for @scuderiaferrari for the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship.”