Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc’s 2021 Formula One season ended with just a seventh place in the overall ranking. The Ferrari driver finished behind Lando Norris and especially teammate Carlos Sainz who was making his debut for the Maranello team. A surprising result for a driver considered to be one of the fastest and most effective on the grid. A season that, however, should not be thrown away and which served the Monegasque talent to grow and smooth out those residual driving problems that a young driver inevitably carries with him.
Charles is a driver with strong speed skills, especially on Saturdays. Even in a championship stingy with satisfactions, the former Formula 2 champion managed to snatch two great pole positions. One in Monaco, which Charles was unfortunately not able to capitalize on due to his crash in Q3, and the other in Baku, thus confirming the indisputable skill that emerges every time there is a challenge in laptime. It was in the race that things went less well last season. Only one podium in 2021, in England, against the four of his Maranello colleague. A difference that does not fully photograph the facts.
A situation that was also highlighted by the Formula 1 Constructor Standings, with the Spaniard finishing ahead by 5.5 points. Little, very little, but enough to get him two positions ahead of the Monegasque driver.
But “No. 16” sees positive. He believes, in fact, that his race management skills have progressed compared to the annus horribilis that was 2020. The one in which Ferrari came out of the confidential agreement with the FIA that eliminated much of the power from the V6 turbo-hybrid Ferrari engine:
“From the beginning of 2020 – explained the driver – I began to understand that race management was one of my weaknesses. Especially after 2019 when I did a lot of good qualifying sessions and then struggled a bit more during the grand prix. I worked a lot on this situation and in 2020 I improved a lot. I think that in the past season it was actually one of my strengths. Now I feel good every time we need to do some tire management. I feel I am doing a good job “.
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A path of awareness which has led to the finish? Not at all! Charles Leclerc knows that he still has to increase his Sunday performances by balancing them with those of Saturday: “There is still a lot to work on. Maybe I need to find a balance between my qualifying and the race. Which probably hasn’t happened yet. Sometimes I sacrifice my performance in practice a little more to be better the next day. But it’s a balance I’m working on to try to get the perfect performance mix between Saturday and Sunday “.
The statements of the former Sauber are reflected in practice. By carefully observing and listening to the onboard videos, you can see the evolution of its approach to operations. In 2019, the year of his arrival in Maranello, he was a more insecure driver. He tended to be managed rather than charted the way forward.
The cohabitation with Sebastian Vettel, albeit stormy in some appointments, served a great deal to Charles Leclerc who developed more effective race management and, specifically, tire management. This is a true Achilles heel, which came from the positive experience with the Swiss team.
In 2019, the year in which he scored seven pole positions and two victories, a real learing process began which continued in 2020, a very difficult year for Ferrari. But the underperforming car allowed the Maramello driver to fortify and consolidate his approach to GPs. In fact, the performance gap with Sebastian Vettel has definitely widened in favor of the Monegasque.
The last two years have presented a more self-aware and more decisive driver both in technical choices (as set-up) and in the race strategy. There are many moments that show a proactive Charles Leclerc and that he personally gave precise indications to Xavier Marcos, his track engineer. Charles has gradually transformed into a safer professional and more aware of his driving sensitivity. Weapons that will be very useful for the entire Ferrari environment.
Even if not publicly declared, finishing behind Carlos Sainz is a very strong incentive to improve and to continue on that stabilization path that started alongside a four-time Formula One world champion. 2022 must be the turning point for Scuderia Ferrari and the conditions seem to be there. An opportunity not to be missed for the twenty-four year old driver of the Maranello Academy. It will thus be a chance to truly become the pillar of a team that needs solidity to re-embrace the avant-garde positions in a lasting way.
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