Charles Leclerc dismisses off-track chaos at Ferrari as less concerning than his “disaster” start to 2023

Many senior figures at Ferrari have left, or will leave, but Charles Leclerc is more concerned about the team's on-track performance - and the many issues.

Charles Leclerc dismisses off-track chaos at Ferrari as less concerning than his “disaster” start to 2023

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc

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Things have been somewhat chaotic at Ferrari lately. Apart from the very visible on-track problems, including the reliability and the disappointing race pace, there’s also the mood within the team. David Sanchez left, while Gino Rosato and Jonathan Giacobazzi have apparently also stopped working with the F1 team. Inaki Rueda was shifted back to the factory, while Laurent Mekies will also leave to join AlphaTauri as team principal in 2024. Then there’s the Charles Leclerc problem.

He has been constantly linked to Mercedes, and it is said that he’s very dissatisfied with his current situation at Ferrari. According to a recent report, he ‘has no intention’ to extend his contract with Ferrari. That may or may not be true. Publically, he’s said that he is not in discussions with Mercedes…at least “at the moment”. He affirmed that he’s focused on Ferrari, and trusts and has confidence in the future.

When asked if he was worried about the on and off-track situation at Ferrari, Leclerc told Motorsport.com: “Well, let’s be honest, if we are speaking on track, the performance is not where we want it to be the first part of the season. The first three races for me were a disaster. But these three weeks I think it was good to reset, to look a little bit at the things where we can optimize the package that we have.”

Read More: Charles Leclerc ‘has no intention’ to extend his Ferrari contract: Reports

Charles Leclerc is “really confident for the future” with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-23
Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-23

It’s hard to disagree with Charles Leclerc’s assessment of his season yet. In two of the first three races, he’s retired, while in the other, he only finished 7th – scoring 6 points. At this stage of the season last time out, he already had 71 points! Perhaps rather understandably, he is not as worried about the staff changes and exits compared to the on-track problems. He said: “Then off track, of course, there is a restructuring for the team and that’s clear.”

The Monegasque stated that the relationship with Laurent Mekies was good; but as it is, the opportunity was too good to pass up for him. He said: “We had a really good relationship with Laurent. But we all understand in the team that this opportunity is right to take, as it’s a really good opportunity for him. So it’s like this. But the team is more than one person. And yeah, I’m very confident for the future with Fred having what he has in mind. I’m really confident.”

Further, Leclerc affirmed that he has full faith in Frederic Vasseur. This is because the Frenchman has been “open with what he wants to achieve and the way he wants to achieve it.” And this gives the Monegasque confidence. So, while he admits the ‘future is moving’, he remains confident about it. With the promise of upgrades in the upcoming races, his outlook for the future looks set to improve. But there’s no certainty.

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