Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc feels he "should not have pushed so hard at times"

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc feels he “should not have pushed so hard at times”. Charles looks back on his performance in 2022.

In four years at Scuderia Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has shown moments of absolute talent, so much so that the five victories achieved so far in Formula 1 seem too few given his potential and skills. In 2022, the Monegasque driver finished on the world championship podium for the first time, second in the world championship, and it is certainly not a crime to say that he has achieved little compared to what he has shown on track.

We just have to think of the 18 pole positions secured so far. Obviously, in Formula 1, talent alone is not enough and the need to have a competitive and reliable car is crucial to capitalize on a driver’s potential. And undoubtedly the beginning of this championship had deluded the 25-year-old from Monte Carlo, with a very fast Ferrari F1-75 that had allowed him to take two victories in the first three races and build an important gap between himself and his opponents, only to then secure just one more race win in the rest of the 2022 Formula One world championship.

As is well known, Ferrari has suffered due to problems related to the power unit reliability and the strategic management of the race weekends, but Charles Leclerc himself is well aware that he has made some mistakes which must not to be repeated, such as the spin in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola or the retirement in the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit, with the latter incident still very present in the mind of the Monegasque driver:

“On some occasions I should not have pushed so hard, like in France”, Charles Leclerc said in an honest analysis of his 2022 performance, during the press conference in Abu Dhabi: “In my early years I was always convinced that there was a area specific to focus on, because I knew it was my weakness. But now I have been in Formula 1 for a few years and I think it’s more important to take care of the details and be 100% as often as possible. So in view of next year I will focus on this, because I am convinced that I am really good when I am 100%.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded.