F1 journalist believes "Charles Leclerc is the Francesco Totti of Formula 1"

Eight Grand Prix races; one podium, achieved by Charles Leclerc in Baku. Some signs of recovery in Canada after three extremely troubled weekends. The 2023 Formula 1 season for Scuderia Ferrari is proving to be more challenging than expected, but perhaps the recent updates could make a difference. We will find out this weekend in Austria at the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, where the ninth race of the championship will take place.

Meanwhile, in his usual analysis for Autosprint, Italian journalist Carlo Vanzini provided an overview of Ferrari’s current situation, focusing on the Maranello team’s two drivers.

Carlo Vanzini’s analysis

“Here we are in Maranello. Let’s start with Sainz […] Carlos is a driver who is very aware of situations and moments. He is, in fact, the type of driver that all engineers would like to have,” writes Carlo Vanzini. He then explains his statement about the Spaniard: “If the car is for P5, rest assured he will put it there. He works hard, helps the team, and does his part. He has less pressure; the candidacy for the title races falls on others, so he can always be the surprise or the outsider, and anything more is a great thing.”

Later, the journalist turns to Charles Leclerc, emphasizing: “He has accustomed us to great things even when the car was not there and is not there. However, Charles cannot wait a lifetime for something to happen. Certainly, from Austria, we should see the true soul of the SF23, but if it doesn’t become a nearly winning car even there, the doubts will persist or rather, they won’t go away.” – the Italian journalist pointed out.

The Monegasque driver has repeatedly expressed and demonstrated his love for the Maranello team, remaining committed to the project despite the lack of competitiveness in the team’s cars. “For many reasons, not least his connection with Bianchi, Charles is 100% a Ferrari man, he wants to win with Ferrari. He is the ‘Totti’ of Formula 1, more attached to the team than to money and/or the ambitions of other teams. […] Leclerc has been struggling for a while, and when he had the opportunity, he has already shown that he can be the best. A year ago, he became a great leader in the championship with races against Max at a very high level of skill and maturity. But then, if before he lacked the car, there, he lacked the team: decisions were not made that put him at the center of the moment, and development was lacking to the point that ambitions collapsed even in the summer.”

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After the 2022 Formula 1 season, Scuderia Ferrari approached 2023 talking about a car that would have no precedents in terms of speed (words of the CEO, Benedetto Vigna). Well, we all know how it is actually going. “The SF-23 had to change its skin,” Carlo Vanzini reminds us.

For how long will the love that binds Charles Leclerc to the Scuderia be able to keep the Monegasque in Maranello? “Now we will see with the new floor and the anticipated big step in Austria, and the team is in a phase of deep reconstruction. It seemed to have solid foundations, but they were just ruins on which the good Vasseur is trying to rebuild, also to convince Charles not to look elsewhere, because love is good, but then someone with his DNA wants to have the opportunity to compete,” writes Carlo Vanzini.

However, the journalist, still referring to Charles Leclerc, does not shy away from highlighting: “This year he has perhaps made more mistakes, more driving errors, like in Melbourne, Miami, and Canada in qualifying with the complicity of the team. That’s why he simply needs to be more like Carlos Sainz, as he showed, for example, in Montreal, to give us again the Charles Leclerc we know when the car and the team are up to his talent.”

Carlo Vanzini concludes by quoting a colleague: “‘Those who criticize Charles don’t understand much about Formula One,’ said by colleague Roberto Chinchero, who has seen all the drivers of this generation being born and grow. Time will tell, but the clock is ticking.”