Charles Leclerc belongs to the same bracket as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, claims Former Ferrari manager
The Ferrari star possesses immense talent and aspires to be a world champion with the Scuderia, despite his recent bad fortunes.
Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc via TheMirror
Charles Leclerc has been making heads turn since his rookie season in Formula One with Sauber in 2018. The young superstar was identified as possessing the potential to be a future world champion early on in his career and completed a sensational move to Ferrari in 2019. Racing for a team like Ferrari in his second year in the sport put sizeable expectations on his shoulders. However, Leclerc rose to the challenge and is now in his prime, competing for a title against the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Ex-Williams and Ferrari manager Peter Windsor is in awe of Leclerc’s raw ability and pace. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he stated, “I’ve always bracketed Charles up there with Lewis and Max. I think he has all those things that the great racing drivers have and it shows in his driving and it shows in his ability to put in amazing qualifying laps even if the car isn’t great, Melbourne aside.” Windsor clearly believes Leclerc can be a worthy adversary to the likes of Verstappen and Hamilton, despite his recent struggles.
Windsor went on to appreciate and acknowledge Leclerc’s ability to get into the groove in a race and manage the variables efficiently and bring home a strong result, given that he is put on the correct strategy. He also added how talented Leclerc is when it comes to manipulating the car.
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Charles Leclerc has endured a torrid start to the 2023 season
The Monégasque superstar has impressed several throughout the course of his Ferrari career and has beaten the likes of legend Sebastian Vettel in equal machinery. Despite his team’s poor years as of late, he has extracted maximum pace from the car and outperformed it again. He is clearly a potential world champion and aims to achieve this feat with the Maranello-based team and the Tifosi behind him.
Things haven’t been smooth sailing for Leclerc, however. The 2022 season started off strong for Ferrari, with Leclerc accumulating a substantial lead after the first few races of the season. The likes of the main competitor Red Bull suffered frequent reliability issues, and the title seemed to be there for the taking. Despite this situation, Leclerc and Ferrari seemed to slowly decline when it came to performance, efficiency, reliability, and strategy as the season progressed. They finished the season closer to third than first and were dominated by the team from Milton Keynes.
Leclerc suffered a variety of disappointments in 2022, sparking speculation of a rift between him and then-team boss Mattia Binotto. His championship hopes were snatched away by Dutchman Max Verstappen, who is the established favorite for 2023 as well. Charles Leclerc expressed his determination and desire to win in 2023 at the start of the season and insisted that the gloves were off. His drive and passion were unquestionable, and the paddock was excited to see Verstappen and himself fight it out to the death.
However, things again haven’t gone according to plan for the 25-year-old, as his start to 2023 has been more than difficult. With only 3 races having passed, his championship hopes are already looking to be more of a dream than a reality. He suffered an engine failure at the season premiere in Bahrain and crashed out in Melbourne. In Jeddah, he managed to only cross the line in P7, a mediocre finish for a team and a driver who expects more and strives for greater heights.
Leclerc currently sits at 10th in the standings, having scored a paltry 6 points. A shocking start for a driver with the immense ability and a team with vast resources. His bad luck with reliability and strategies has persisted, but he is also prone to making an error every now and then. This situation calls for the team to introspect and consider what improvements can be made over the course of this month-long break and buckle down at the next race in Baku. In terms of raw ability, he may be on the same level as Verstappen and Hamilton, but the only way to prove it is by beating these rivals and crowning himself champion.
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Justin P Joy
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