There can be no denying that Charles Leclerc’s time as Ferrari’s lead driver has been a turbulent one. Throughout his first campaign with the team, it looked as though the sky was the limit. He picked up two victories in that maiden season, regularly outperforming teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel all season long.
His performances were so impressive that Ferrari coronated Leclerc as the winner of the scarlet civil war when they announced they would be letting their long-time German driver leave the team in favor of making Leclerc their undisputed top dog. Carlos Sainz was brought in to partner the Monegasque man, but more tough times were around the corner. Throughout the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Ferrari was way down the field and wasn’t competing for race victories.
The 2022 Campaign
That all changed last season though. Leclerc picked up victories in two of the first three races, announcing himself as a genuine title contender in the process. Or so we thought.
Poor decisions from the pit wall – decisions that would eventually cost team principal Mattia Binotto his job – as well as reliability issues allowed Max Verstappen to romp to a second consecutive title. The Flying Dutchman has been in scintillating form once again in 2023, handily winning the first two races of the season. Thanks to his dominance, various online casino websites and online bookmakers have made ‘Super Max’ the overwhelming favorite to make it three consecutive championship victories this season.
While last season got off to the perfect start for Leclerc and Ferrari, this season couldn’t be further away from perfection if it tried. The Monegasque star has retired from two of the three races that have taken place so far this term, and in the one he did finish, he finished way down in seventh place. So far, the long-suffering Leclerc and his fan base, we decided that this would be the perfect time to look back at some happier times.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at Charles Leclerc’s greatest victories for Ferrari.
2019 Italian Grand Prix
Throughout his debut campaign in Maranello, Charles Leclerc had threatened to pick up several victories. He was on course for his maiden victory in Bahrain in the second race of the season only for an engine failure to curtail his efforts. He was then on course for victory in Austria before a charging Max Verstappen eventually caught and passed him with just a handful of laps staying.
But that maiden victory would eventually come in Belgium. Unfortunately for Leclerc and the rest of the motor racing world, however, it was a victory that couldn’t truly be celebrated. That’s because on the day before his first-ever race win, his long-time friend and rival from the junior categories, Anthoine Hubert, sadly passed away after a crash at the same circuit.
A week later, however, the Formula One circus rolled into Monza for the famed Italian Grand Prix. The race is the home race for Ferrari and their fans, and Leclerc wouldn’t be disappointed as he picked up pole position. His teammate Sebastian Vettel started down in 13th, which meant that Leclerc was exposed and had to fight the two championship-leading Mercedes’ all by himself.
That’s exactly what he did. Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas threw everything they could at the talented young driver, but Leclerc stood firm. He rebuffed attempted overtakes from both Hamilton and Bottas and he managed to hang on for a deserved victory. And it was a victory that he could celebrate.
2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
When Leclerc was lifting the trophy in front of his adoring public after that victory at Monza, neither he nor his fans couldn’t imagine that they would have to wait another two and a half years for his next triumph. He would start on pole in both Singapore and Russia in 2019, only for fights with teammate Vettel eventually costing him victory. He would also come close to victory at the British Grand Prix in 2021 but was eventually caught by an inspired Lewis Hamilton, who took ten seconds out of Leclerc in just a handful of laps to secure the victory.
But last season, that two years of hurt was over, and it was over in stunning fashion. At the 2022 curtain-raising Bahrain Grand Prix, Leclerc would secure pole position, with the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen in second place. Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz was a place further back in third.
Once the race got underway, Leclerc and Verstappen were at once embroiled in a battle for the ages. The pair would trade the lead on many occasions, with Ferrari’s main man outsmarting his rival by allowing him to reach the DRS line into the first corner first, thus giving Leclerc the DRS advantage down the back straight. That allowed Leclerc to regain the lead repeatedly before Verstappen ultimately retired late on.
Red Bull’s retirement opened the door for Leclerc to stroll to victory, with his teammate eventually finishing second to secure the Scuderia’s first one-two finish in two and a half years.
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