True love is the one that resists even through difficult times. For Charles Leclerc, whose heart has always been beating for Ferrari, it must not have been easy to digest the way his 2021 Formula 1 season concluded. The decision to pit under the first safety car was not ideal, relegating him to tenth place. While team-mate Carlos Sainz remained on track and ended up immediately behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, the duelists for the title, scoring a fourth podium finish for Ferrari in 2021. One of Charles’ worst results coincided with Carlos’ best performance since he has been driving for the Maranello team. Knowing the healthy competition that exists between the two, it must have had a lot to do with Charles Leclerc’s pride, who was preceded by the Spaniard (and Lando Norris) also in the final 2021 championship standings.
Charles Leclerc’s year was not all plain sailing, despite an improved car compared to the disastrous 2020, which had seen him outclass Sebastian Vettel in a rear-end battle. The arrival of Carlos Sainz, immediately put in a position by the team to perform at his best, created a new antagonism that perhaps was not expected. The Little Prince at the end of 2019 had rightly been invested with the role of leader, after the resounding victories at Spa and Monza in the season of his debut with Ferrari, when he had also scored 7 pole positions and another 8 podiums. But Carlos Sainz was able to cope very well with him, especially in the race, the strong point of the Spaniard, who is nicknamed “Smooth Operator” for his ability to manage races.
Internal competition effectively calls Charles Leclerc’s position into question. Although team principal Mattia Binotto considers the comparison positive: “Charles and Carlos pushed each other all year, making the team progress. I expect they will fight again in the future.” The personal relationships between the two are very good. There is respect, esteem and friendship. Both are aware that the priority is to get Ferrari back to winning ways and therefore they are also willing to put aside personal ambitions at times. But Charles Leclerc is a heritage to be protected and Ferrari needs to step up. The Maranello team has in fact invested heavily in the Monegasque driver discovered by manager Nicolas Todt, the son of the FIA president, helping him improve in the Academy and keeping him close with a long-term contract until 2024. The desire to stay together and return to the top has never been questioned.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma!
TERMINATION CLAUSE — But Charles Leclerc is not “armored”: as reported by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, his contract includes a termination clause if in 2022 Ferrari does not finish at least in third place in the Constructors championship, like this year. So, to keep him tight and avoid temptations elsewhere (for example from Mercedes if Hamilton were to retire), the red team must be competitive and that the driver feels confidence and consideration from the team as in the beginning. Indeed, next season will be a key year both for the relaunch of Ferrari and for the definitive success of Charles Leclerc. Furthermore, a possible return of Jean Todt to Maranello in the role of super consultant would change the scenarios.
This year Charles scored only one podium against Carlos Sainz’s four, but finished fourth on six other occasions, including Monza. At Silverstone he was the protagonist of a great performance and came close to victory, but was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton with 2 laps to go. He was very fast, scoring the team’s only two pole positions, in Monte Carlo and in Azerbaijan. But he wasted the opportunity to triumph in the home race due to the accident at the end of qualifying that forced him to retire before the start, while Carlos Sainz took a great second place. He also made a few too many mistakes, especially in practice, as he searched for the limit. A sign that he pushed hard to find something more from the car, but he was not always at ease. The disappointment of Qatar is eloquent, when he confessed: “This time I really have no explanations. I lacked the feeling with the car”.
It will be important for the Ferrari of 2022 to support him. In Maranello they have been working tirelessly for a year to build a winning Forrmula 1 car, taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the turning point in the regulations and the return of ground effect. If Charles has a fast car in his hands, his talent will shine again as in 2019: look at what Max Verstappen, a rival in the days of karting, did as soon as he was given a Red Bull capable of fighting with Mercedes.
