Charles Leclerc, from joy to disappointment
The home win in the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit was followed by a strong performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit, in a weekend that ended with pole position and a bit of disappointment for the missed victory. While waiting for the challenge at a “real” circuit like Austin, Ferrari seems able to attack again on another fast street circuit like Singapore, though confirming the “ups and downs” that Charles Leclerc himself mentioned on the team radio after the triumph at the Italian GP. It is therefore crucial to maintain balance in an environment traditionally prone to extremes, both in the joy of victories and in the pain of defeats.
The passion of Ferrari
It is precisely this characteristic of the Ferrari environment that the Monegasque driver spoke about during the official Formula 1 podcast, *Beyond The Grid*, praising the work of Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur: “Ours is a team with a great tradition, and it’s not easy to manage situations like this. There are values at Ferrari that will never change and that, I believe, should never change, because the passion that you feel here is something absolutely incredible, and you don’t find it anywhere else. At the same time, though, passion also means emotions, and it can lead to difficult moments. When things go wrong, the people within the team feel it more deeply than they do elsewhere. But this is also a positive, because it means people are motivated to give 200 percent to overcome the difficulties. And I believe Fred (Vasseur) is making a difference in this regard.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
Fred Vasseur’s qualities
Charles Leclerc then described more specifically how the French team principal, who took charge on January 9, 2023, after four years of Mattia Binotto’s management, is changing things: “He has intervened in certain dynamics. First of all, he tries to know and understand every single person who works in the team, in order to understand the situation and put them in the best possible conditions to give their best. I think this is one of Fred’s greatest qualities. He’s also the one within the team who pushes the most for emotional balance.” – the Ferrari driver added.
“Every time Ferrari has a good race and everyone is happy,” the Monegasque explained – “Fred then comes in and says: ‘Okay, it was great. But now let’s focus because it was just one race, and there are still more to go.’ But he does the same during negative moments, after poor performances when everyone is upset about the bad result. Frederic Vasseur is always there, ready to motivate us by finding the positives. He is a very emotionally balanced person, and I think this is very important for a team like Ferrari. It’s what we needed in Maranello, and I have complete trust in what Fred is doing.” – Charles Leclerc concluded.
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