Charles Leclerc like Marc Marquez: pushing beyond the limits
Pushing, pushing, pushing. In Charles Leclerc’s mind, at this moment, there is no other word when he gets behind the wheel of the SF-23. A car whose limits are frustrating the ambitions of the Monegasque driver, who at Zandvoort had one of the worst weekends of his five-year tenure at Ferrari: crashing in qualifying, making contact with Oscar Piastri in the early stages of the Grand Prix; a series of events that led to a broken front wing, damage to the underfloor (it has been calculated that the SF-23 lost 60 points of downforce), a grueling race, and ultimately retirement.
In the background, yet another misunderstanding with the pit box during the first pit stop. Certainly called in late by the driver, but it’s reasonable to expect a team like Ferrari to be ready for intermediate tires at the first drops of rain. Another piece of the puzzle that for now doesn’t dent the love story between Charles Leclerc and the Scuderia, but could add nervousness ahead of Monza and discussions about contract renewal.
An agreement that expires in 2024, just like the one between Honda and Marc Marquez, another driver struggling with his vehicle.
In today’s edition of the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, journalist Giorgio Pasini draws an interesting parallel between the Monegasque driver at Ferrari and the MotoGP superstar: “Charles Leclerc was supposed to be what Pecco Bagnaia has been for Ducati, instead he is experiencing the trajectory of Marc Marquez, the former master of two wheels who lost confidence in his team, Honda. Not the right spirit to face the home race at the temple of Monza, the place that launched him with the repeat triumph a week after the first one in Spa four years ago.”
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Charles Leclerc – Marc Marquez, similar mistakes
“The comparison with the Spaniard who from 2013 to 2019 dominated the world of two wheels like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton, and now Max Verstappen is evident and at the same time worrying… Many of Charles Leclerc’s mistakes, including those from last weekend in the Netherlands… resemble those that pushed Marc Marquez to the brink of an existential crisis (and repeated injuries) before the summer break. Trying to go as fast as the Ducati led to repeated falls… he began to go slower and look around, offering himself to KTM… Charles Leclerc hasn’t yet expressed the intention to lift off, but it’s clear that the attitude of his teammate Carlos Sainz, more cautious not to exceed… the limits of the SF-23, shows a path. Additionally, Charles won’t be able to test the new Ferrari that Enrico Cardile is developing in Maranello before the February tests. He’ll have to rely on the promises of Frederic Vasseur. But the ones he received a year ago from Mattia Binotto were not kept.” – journalist Giorgio Pasini pointed out after the Dutch Grand Prix.
