As more and more people discover the game, chess has infiltrated the F1 paddock. Two Ferrari drivers in particular, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have become chess fans (alongside golf and padel).
“Actually, I’ve always loved chess, even as a kid,” Leclerc told Motorsport.com of one of his new hobbies, explaining how Sainz became his number one playing partner. “I think this year it all started with boredom before the press days. We didn’t know what to do, and because he saw me playing chess on my phone he said OK, he’ll download it. We got pretty hooked on the game in the first half of the season, playing each other non-stop.”
