Former Ferrari Boss compares Charles Leclerc with Lauda and Schumacher, slams Scuderia for not giving the Monegasque a competitive car

Former chairman of Ferrari, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, made a comparison between Niki Lauda, Micheal Schumacher and Charles Leclerc. Montezemolo spoke fondly about his dear friend and iconic driver Lauda. He also reminisced the glorious days of Micheal Schumacher, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. But what gained attention was his concern about the Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque driver has been struggling in the 2023 season. After two DNFs in Bahrain and Australia, and a seventh place in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc is 10th in the 2023 drivers’ championship standings. He has six points. Last season the 25-year-old was battling with Max Verstappen for the title. Things have changed since then. Charles Leclerc is facing his worst career start in Formula 1. 

Montezemolo was interviewed by the La7 television network, and he was asked, “Better Lauda, Schumacher or Leclerc?”. The Former Ferrari chairman replied, “Lauda was one of the most important friends of my life. We started working together when I was 25 years old and I was a young sports director. He was a very young pilot. We spent so many years together. Even when he was in Mercedes, despite being opponents, we were great friends.”

Related: ‘We expected much more,’ Carlos Sainz rues Ferrari’s dismal start to the 2023 F1 season

Ferrari’s Luca Montezemolo praises Charles Leclerc, says he is “very good”

He then spoke about Schumacher, “He was the driver who won the most with Ferrari. He and Lauda had one thing in common: when you won, you all win together. When you lost, you all lost together.”  Montezemolo added, “Leclerc is very good. He’s a super fast driver, especially on the dry lap. He is a pilot who is experiencing a very delicate moment in his career. He’s still very young, but the years go by and he has to try to win. To do that he needs a competitive car…”

Charles Leclerc was so close to the championship last season. However, he lost to Verstappen by 146 points and finished second. The skilful driver needs a competitive car to fight again. Montezemolo believes Leclerc is going through a delicate moment in his career. Though he is young and has the talent, he needs a car that delivers. 

Leclerc wants to take it one race at a time. He would be glad if he could finish all the races. The former Ferrari chairman believes Leclerc has what it takes to achieve great heights like Niki Lauda and Micheal Schumacher. It now comes down to Ferrari, the team should provide its drivers with championship-winning cars. With the new updates which are due to arrive in the upcoming races, Charles Leclerc might get a chance to turn things around. 

In case you missed it:

• “Lonely and mentally challenging,” Logan Sargeant describes his move across the pond for Formula 1.

• Toto Wolff has ‘trust’ in Mercedes to go back to competing for race wins against Red Bull

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