Charles Leclerc reveals how he thrives under the immense pressure at Ferrari

Being in Formula 1 means that you'll be under immense scrutiny, and this is especially the case when you're at Ferrari, like Charles Leclerc is.

Charles Leclerc reveals how he thrives under the immense pressure at Ferrari

Charles Leclerc celebrating his win at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix with the Tifosi

Being at Ferrari, either as a driver or in any other role, means you are under immense pressure, immediately. They have the reputation of what is basically a national team for Italy. When they win, the whole country builds them up. But when they don’t, well, the going gets rather tough. The media, and the fans, are rather unforgiving, and now, almost 15 years since the team last won a championship, have begun to grow exasperated. Charles Leclerc is well aware of this.

With each race they do not win, the pressure continues to mount. In 2022, it looked as if fans would finally be treated to a world title – but it all unraveled. There was immense criticism of the team, and backlash, throughout this period. Mattia Binotto ‘left’ the team as a result. Now, in 2023, they start again, but even this year, their championship credentials don’t look too good. Four races in, Red Bull have by far the best car – it seems Ferrari will have to fight for P2, not the championship.

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Leclerc, who finally got his first podium of 2023 in Baku, has been associated with Ferrari for a long time. He’s even considered to be their ‘golden boy’ – but yet, he himself is under pressure. When asked by Bild how much pressure he felt, the Monegasque said: “There is always pressure in Formula 1 – especially at Ferrari. It’s just a special team with very special fans. They have this endless passion for the team. The feeling of victory, that love you get from the supporters, is indescribable.”

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But, as mentioned above, when Ferrari are not doing well, then it all goes awry. He added: “But in the difficult moments it is of course also more difficult to deal with. But that shouldn’t be an excuse. We have to be able to deal with it. Michael [Schumacher] and Jean [Todt] also had immense pressure and still won several world championships in a row. So we can’t complain.”

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Charles Leclerc likes the “pressure”

Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc has been in motorsport for a very long time. He’s now in his fifth season with Ferrari, and so he is used to the pressure. In fact, he has even started liking it. He needs the competition, the pressure, to perform at his best. When asked whether he likes the pressure, he replied: “Yes – but I don’t feel it that much. I’m used to almost constant pressure to perform due to motorsport.”

Leclerc continued: “I need some tension before I get in the car. But when I put the helmet on, it goes away. Then I just drive the car. But please don’t get me wrong: I’m not deeply relaxed. When something is at stake, I always want to be the fastest. That’s why I’m sometimes not so good at the pre-season tests, because I need the competition, the pressure, to tease out the last percentage.”

Leclerc finished runner-up in last year’s championship. This time around, he currently does not look likely to do even that – much less win the championship. Of course, there’s the promise of upgrades, as Ferrari will introduce one from Miami to Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether this can eventually make the car competitive enough to challenge Red Bull, though that seems unlikely at this stage.

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