Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc is confident that he and the Maranello team will be able to use the lessons learned during the 2022 Formula One championship to hit back stronger next season, with the goal of fighting against Red Bull and Mercedes for the world title.
Charles Leclerc had a great start to the 2022 Formula One campaign behind the wheel of the F1-75, securing two race wins from the first three races, which allowed him to initially build a solid gap to Red Bull and Max Verstappen. At one stage the Monegasque had a 46 point advantage at the top of the standings.
Unfortunately, a mix of Red Bull constantly improving during the season and Ferrari’s championship unravelling due to a series of power unit technical failures, strategic mistakes and a few driver errors, eventually allowed Max Verstappen to easily secure another championship title last year.
One of Charles Leclerc’s rare individual mistakes included a spin in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and a race-ending crash in the France Grand Prix. At the end of the Paul Ricard even, the Ferrari man said: which he declared: “It’s my fault and, if I keep doing mistakes like this, then I deserve not to win the championship.”
After finishing in second place in last season’s drivers’ standings and a management change over the winter, Charles Leclerc shared an update on his pre-season preparations from a training camp in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains, pointing out how he stays motivated.
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Speaking inside a gym on his official YouTube channel, Charles Leclerc explained: “For sure, there are some days I’m not particularly happy to go training, but it’s life, it’s part of the game. At the end, winning is what motivates me. In 2022, we didn’t make it, but I’m planning to do it this year. We need to be as prepared as possible, and training is part of it. You need to be fit inside the car and we are giving [our] best just to be the best driver out there on the track – so that’s what motivates me.”
When asked if his mentality is different as compared to the previous championship, Charles Leclerc added: “I think I mature… Every season that you do in Formula 1, you learn new things, so you change as a driver. Whether there is a particular change where I was like, ‘Okay, this I need to change’, not really. It’s just small improvements. After every mistake you learn and you grow, so I’m more mature. But there’s not been a particular change.”
While there is no change in the Maranello team’s line-up for the next season, as Charles Leclerc will continue alongside Carlos Sainz, there has been significant movement at the top of the Ferrari Racing Department: Mattia Binotto left the Italian side after almost three decades and ex-Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur took his place.
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