Fred Vasseur defends Charles Leclerc: “He gets upset because he demands the best”. Ferrari struggled to secure important points after Monaco.

In recent months, as Formula 1 has become more exciting with different race winners, Ferrari has unfortunately remained a silent spectator to others’ success. After the splendid victory on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco, which prematurely sparked talk of a potential Formula 1 championship battle, the Maranello team struggled to secure important points. The Canadian Grand Prix turned out to be a turning point, leading to an early introduction of updates at the next race in Spain. However, instead of making the car more competitive, these changes reintroduced the dreaded porpoising. From there, every Grand Prix became a race to achieve the “least worst” outcome, a temporary fix while waiting for a solution rumored to arrive between Zandvoort and Monza.

Charles Leclerc, in particular, was visibly the most frustrated, lamenting the fact that he wasn’t invited to the podium and victory celebrations. In his frustration, he has made a few small mistakes here and there, which in a tight grid can make all the difference. Speaking in a recent interview for the Formula 1 website, Frederic Vasseur, however, refused to blame his driver; in fact, he praised him. “The situation isn’t tense just for Charles but for the whole team. After Monaco, we went through a tough period. The car became harder to drive, while Charles’s expectations increased. That’s the life of a team, with its ups and downs. I talk with Charles all the time; he knows our point of view, what we’re doing well and where we’re going wrong, and at the same time, he’s aware that he makes some mistakes too, but no one wants to blame the other. We’ve been working together for years, we know each other perfectly, we know we are pushing, we know we just need to fix things. We are absolutely not in the situation to finger point. It’s also where it’s good to have a personal relationship.” – the French manager added.

The team principal also praised Carlos Sainz, acknowledging his consistency: “Carlos is very strong mentally. I’ve seen that he’s only had two difficult races out of 36. He’s always there, very dedicated, focused, and he understands the car well.” – Frederic Vasseur concluded in his interview for the official F1 website.