Next month in October, at the United States Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc will face his 100th race weekend with Ferrari, and the following weekend (in Mexico), he will mark his 100th Grand Prix with the Scuderia.
The journey has been long, yet there remains a feeling of unfulfillment in the history between Leclerc and Ferrari. Charles has endeared himself to fans as well as to the elite club of top Formula 1 drivers, but that dream he harbored for three months last year is still distant.
In a conversation with Motorsport Italy, Charles Leclerc has emphasized multiple times that he loves Ferrari; his foremost goal is to reach the pinnacle of the sport behind the wheel of a red car. The ball is in the hands of John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, and Frederic Vasseur, who need to lay out a compelling plan for the medium and long term. For the rest, Leclerc is equipped with resilience, knowing how to handle media pressure as well as relationships with his teammate. And hidden away is yet another dream, currently not a priority, but possibly set to be realized sooner than anticipated.
Let’s rewind to February 14th, the SF-23’s unveiling. It was a significant day in Maranello, with numerous fans and optimism abounding. How tough was it to realize that the results would not align with expectations?
“Last winter, motivation was at its peak. The previous year, we secured the second spot in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, leaving only one goal to aim for – becoming world champions. However, right from the first race weekend in Bahrain, we realized we were in a challenging situation. And after the second Grand Prix, the situation was definitively clear to us.”
“One needs to accept it, and personally, I believe I have. It was somewhat akin to reliving 2020 – three years ago, we quickly grasped that the results wouldn’t meet our expectations. These are tough moments, and in these cases, the most important aspect becomes having a clear direction to work on, as it’s easy to lose your way. When faced with these situations, it’s never due to just one reason; I think there are multiple factors, each leading in the wrong direction. It’s about identifying these issues and addressing them one by one, without questioning everything.”
“Compared to 2020, I felt better this time. I am convinced that we are heading in the right direction, and everyone is rowing in the same direction. Of course, our rivals are also making progress, so climbing back is not easy. But our objective remains to return to the top as swiftly as possible.”
Dealing with a car that’s quick in qualifying and much less so in the race – has that made things harder? From the outside, it seemed like a complex problem from the start…
“Honestly, we found ourselves in a peculiar situation. We performed well in qualifying, but in the race, we struggled, all with the same car. Race after race, we identified the areas we needed to focus on to improve the situation, particularly regarding race pace, and now the direction is quite clear. We know it takes time; in Formula 1, nothing changes overnight, but we’ve made progress and more needs to be done because the journey to catch up with Red Bull is still long.”
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
What are your goals for the second part of the season?
“I think the realistic goal we want to strive for is to be the strongest team after Red Bull, and simultaneously try to close the gap. Then, looking at 2024, there’s no doubt that the team’s collective goal is to return to the top and battle against Red Bull – a target that, realistically and in my personal opinion, we won’t be able to achieve before the end of the year. The most realistic aim will be to finish the season ahead of McLaren, Aston Martin, and Mercedes.”
Red Bull and Max Verstappen have imprinted their mark on a season that would have been incredibly balanced without their dominance, with constant changes in the lead. What is your opinion on a supremacy that effectively sees only one driver ahead of all?
“I think Max is a great driver, but at the same time, many people can’t explain the large gap between him and Checo. Personally, I believe it’s impossible to read the situation accurately from the outside; only within the team do they know everything exactly. Sometimes, the margin between Max and Checo has been larger than I would have expected, but on the other hand, Verstappen is an incredible driver, and it’s probably very challenging to be his teammate. However, I repeat, I don’t have the complete view of the situation.”
Ferrari is a team consistently under the media spotlight, sometimes facing criticism and tremendous pressure from fans who often see their expectations disappointed. How do you handle these aspects, and how have you seen Fred address the situation?
“We’ve created a sort of bubble within which we don’t let ourselves be too influenced by what’s happening outside, and that’s a really positive aspect. I think Fred understood immediately that the media weighed a bit on the team in the past, and one of the objectives we set at the beginning of the year was to shield ourselves from this scenario, and I must say we’ve made progress. I see a positive change; of course, there are always difficult moments to manage, but I believe this applies to everyone in the paddock. It’s true that Ferrari is always a bit more under the spotlight, but it’s something we need to face.”
Several drivers have highlighted how working on this generation of cars is more challenging, referring to the compromises needed for setup. From your perspective, has it been a significant departure from 2021?
“Yes, in the last 10-15 years up until 2021, cars have behaved more or less the same way. However, since last season, we’ve been dealing with a very different philosophy that teams are still discovering. There’s still a lot of room for improvement; these cars are much more sensitive to all changes compared to the previous ones. It’s easy to shift from a good balance to a bad one with a small change, and that’s why we’re often seeing unpredictable oscillations.”
How are your relations with Carlos? In the first half of the season, we heard various team radio exchanges that hinted at some tension…
“I’m fairly active on social media; I’ve heard and read what’s been said, and I believe it’s been a bit exaggerated compared to the reality of things. I have a great relationship with Carlos; outside of the car, we work well together, and I can say we get along also because we share various interests. At the same time, there’s a lot of competitiveness between us; after all, we’re in Formula 1. Personally, I love the sport because there’s competition, and it’s fantastic that it’s like that. What’s sometimes heard over the radio is something that comes with being competitive, and both of us are; we want to achieve the best possible result, and I find all of this normal. Then, we’re both Ferrari drivers, and we know we’re probably in the spotlight more often than others, but that’s okay. What matters is that within the team, we have a good relationship and work toward the same goals.”
Another hot topic is your future…
“I’ve always loved Ferrari, and it’s always been my dream to be where I am today. It’s clear that within the team, no one is content with the situation we’re in, but I feel at home here. I can’t add much because there hasn’t been any negotiation yet, apart from some jokes.”
But have you set a date for when you will have to start doing it?
“We’ve had other priorities, and probably still do. We’re just focusing on what’s truly important, which is to return to competitiveness as quickly as possible.”
We know you love this team, but at the same time, every driver loves to win. If you have opportunities to reach the second goal more quickly, will you consider them?
“I think every driver considers all different options, but in my case, the first dream is to become world champion with Ferrari. I want it more than anything else, so if there’s even a slight chance it can happen, I won’t have doubts and I’ll push to stay where I am.”
Next year, 24 Grand Prix races await you. Is it right or do you think it’s too many?
“I hope it’s the maximum limit, not one more! Part of me understands, it’s not easy if you put yourself in Formula 1’s shoes. We have a sport that’s experiencing an explosion of interest, and that’s fantastic. At the same time, I fear it might become… a bit too much. And I’m not saying this from the drivers’ point of view, because we have a beautiful and privileged life. The problem arises when you consider the position of mechanics, engineers, or logistics staff. Part of the personnel working at the race tracks arrive three days before us and leave two days after the Grand Prix. I’m happy every time I get into the car, but at the same time, I believe every race weekend should be something unique. If we race every weekend, we’ll end up losing that special feeling you have on the eve of a Grand Prix.”
There’s some discontent in the paddock about the weight of the cars. And there’s talk of further increase starting from 2026. Are you also among those who hope to one day drive lighter cars?
“I arrived in Formula 1 in 2018, and the cars were already quite heavy. I’ve never had the chance to drive a car from 2008/2009, but last year I had the opportunity to drive the Ferrari F2004 in Abu Dhabi. Even though I went out on track with 50 kg of fuel, I still felt the difference compared to today’s cars quite a bit. I don’t like heavy cars because they’re less agile, and this aspect is particularly noticeable in low-speed corners. But at the same time, the sensations we have in medium to high-speed corners today are incredible. We have an aerodynamic load that was unimaginable 12 or 13 years ago. It’s a matter of balance, but I’m sure I don’t want to increase the weight we have now any further.”
Formula 1 has undergone a radical transformation in the last four or five years with the growth of social media and the visibility of Netflix. Drivers have become big stars again. How have you experienced this transformation and being in the spotlight every day?
“I don’t want to lie; I think the first year or the first two, it’s a pleasant sensation. As a child, I dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver at the wheel of a Ferrari, and I think being recognized for what you’ve done is part of the dream. And when it happens at the beginning, you say to yourself, ‘Okay, it’s fantastic!’ because you finally get recognition for the hard work you’ve put into your career.”
“Then, you reach a point where you like it a bit less, and perhaps you start to wish for some privacy, to have moments when no one knows who you are and what you’re doing, like when, for example, people buzz your apartment door. But in the end, it’s also part of our job. If I weigh everything on the scale, there are so many positives connected to what I do that it always leans towards the positive side.”
This year, you watched the Le Mans 24 Hours. Would you like to one day compete in that race, maybe alongside your brother Arthur?
“Oh yes, yes. I’ve thought about it many times, and it’s something that one day I will definitely want to do, together with Arthur and Antonio (Fuoco), one of my best friends. We grew up together, and he’s already training for that day. We’ll see when it’s possible; we’ll have to coordinate all our plans because we compete in different categories, but that day will come.”
Leave a Reply