To win, it would take Harry Potter’s magic wand. It’s been almost a year since Charles Leclerc’s last triumph behind the wheel of a Ferrari, in that Austrian GP made exciting by the three overtakes on rival Max Verstappen, and the present unfortunately tells a completely different story. The feats of the Monegasque driver in qualifying are powerless against the dominance of Red Bull. The mood has been up and down like the hands on his beloved piano keyboard, leading to anger or frustration. But ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya, from the words of the Maranello driver, only the desire to work hard to come out of the tunnel and the hope of succeeding with the Red car emerge.
Here is part of Charles Leclerc’s interview for the Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
What can Charles Leclerc do as a driver and as a leader to help Ferrari overcome this difficult moment?
Charles Leclerc: “I must always give my best on the track and never give up. These are words I continue to repeat because they are fundamental. As a leader, I try to make the engineers understand the weaknesses of the car and let them work to improve them. In these situations, it’s easy for a team to lose motivation, even though it’s not our case, but I must be ready to motivate people again if it happens. How? By putting in maximum effort and showing the determination to climb back up. So far, it has always worked.”
What are the points in Fred Vasseur’s program that can contribute to bringing the team back to the top?
Charles Leclerc: “First of all, he has a plan to strengthen the team by bringing new people on board. It is important to listen to different viewpoints, linked to different experiences, for evaluating the problems and the developments to be made. The goal is to have a strong car in all conditions. Today, our car is good in qualifying, on a single lap, with new tires, and in conditions that we can predict, but as soon as we step out of this window, we lose a lot compared to Red Bull, which performs well in qualifying, in the race, in the rain, in short, in every condition. I would say we have a “pointed” car, in the sense that the potential is at its peak, but as soon as you deviate a little, you lose a lot of performance.”
Do you receive calls or messages of support from President John Elkann?
Charles Leclerc: “We have always been in frequent contact. We have spoken often, both in tough times and in good times, and the support has never been lacking.”
Do you and Carlos Sainz have the same idea about the problems with the car and how to develop it to be ready in 2024?
Charles Leclerc: “Yes, and that is very important. We have different requests regarding the balance of the car (setup and aerodynamics; editor’s note) which can change during the weekend. But in terms of areas of development to work on for the future, we are very aligned.”
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Do you miss the battles from last year with Max Verstappen, who won in some cases?
Charles Leclerc: “I miss fighting for victory, whether it’s against Max or other opponents. As I have often said and shown, I only want to win. Second, third, or fourth place doesn’t interest me. I will do everything to return to the top step of the podium as soon as possible, with Ferrari.”
Is Adrian Newey the secret of Red Bull’s success?
Charles Leclerc: “I believe that the success of a team never depends on just one person. There is the contribution of many who have worked well.”
Would you feel threatened if Lewis Hamilton became your teammate?
Charles Leclerc: “These are market rumors. But if he were to come, I wouldn’t feel threatened, quite the opposite. It might even be an opportunity to show what I’m really worth. So coexistence wouldn’t be seen badly by me.”
Will you race until you’re 40 years old like Fernando Alonso?
Charles Leclerc: “I don’t know, it depends. If we win with Ferrari for ten years, then I could continue as a driver until I’m 60… (laughs; editor’s note). Actually, it also depends on how my everyday life goes since there are so many races on the calendar, and the commitment is significant. But I won’t retire early because I love to compete, and I know how lucky I am to do it. Maybe I won’t reach 42 years like Fernando, but I certainly have several seasons left to compete.”
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