Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc has officially made his music industry debut.
The 25-year-old Monacan Ferrari driver has spoken before about his interest in a musical side career. He’s even suggested taking up a career in music after his racing days come to an end.
Several times, Leclerc has shared his piano-playing talent on Instagram. He’s now finally released his first song and the track has already risen to the top 10 in several territory’s iTunes charts.
The four-minute instrumental, titled “AUS23 (1:1)”, showcases the motorsport racer’s artistry with ranging arpeggios accompanied by transcendent strings.
“I dare not define myself as an artist in any way. At the time, as you know, I really like playing the piano. This is how my first song was born,” Leclerc wrote on his Spotify page.
“I’m excited to share with you a piece made on the piano. It’s a project I was working on, born out of a passion for music and the desire to get away from the races or between one GP and another.”
He continued: “I created this piece on the Australian GP and that’s why it’s called ‘AUS23 (1:1)’. A denomination adopted with my team. I thought it was a nice connection to the world of racing.”
Leclerc is not the first F1 star to utilise his platform as an entry point into music.
Fellow Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton was featured on Christina Aguilera’s 2018 song “Pipe” and collaborated with DJ trio Major Lazer last year on a song that is yet to be released.
F1’s 2023 World Championship is underway, with round five’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix beginning Friday (28 April).
Currently, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leads the competition, coming in first place in rounds one and three and second in round two.
