Charles Leclerc has everything it takes to fight for the Formula 1 world title. But Ferrari will need to be good at giving the Monegasque driver a car good enough to allow him to compete throughout the championship. In short, a title-winning car is needed.
This can sum up Jock Clear’s comments, director of the Ferrari Driver Academy, on the F1 Nations podcast. In reality, the British engineer from Portsmouth said much more. He spoke about Charles Leclerc’s evolution as a driver, which has made him not only the best qualifier ever seen – as Clear stated – but also someone who has grown exponentially in race management, with truly effective tire management, showcasing the great driver he is.
“Charles has everything it takes to become a world champion,” Jock Clear immediately clarified. “I’ve been saying this since 2018, obviously, when we started working with him in the Academy. We’ve seen all the right things at all the right stages. He has the qualifying pace. My God, he has… I mean, I honestly think he’s the best qualifier we’ve seen. It’s hard to compare to Michael, Mika, and others, but he is definitely the best in qualifying.”
“And his race management. If you look at Monza, it’s an exception when, when, when everything aligns, he gives his best. It’s one of those things I’ve often fought against, without naming names, but if I give you the words, you’ll know exactly who they come from. There was a lot of ‘We pay him a lot of money, he just needs to drive the car […]’. And if you think it’s only about that, you’re missing something because there’s a lot that goes into aligning all the necessary things. So the only hesitation I would have is that Charles hasn’t yet found himself in a situation where… I mean, 2022 was a good example.”
“And I think looking at 2022, you could say: was that really an opportunity for Ferrari to win a world championship? You have to say yes because at one point we had a 40-point lead in the championship, or the drivers’ championship, and we were able to beat Max Verstappen at many circuits, so we weren’t ready as a team. And I think, as the development went on, Red Bull surpassed us at the end of the year. And certainly, the stars didn’t align, but there were things that Charles would say weren’t championship-level during that year, in everything we did. But that’s exactly the point: you won’t win a championship until everyone is at that level.” – he explained.
“It’s unfair to say that Mercedes won all the championships just because they had the best car. They had the best of everything. And the same goes for Max in the last three years: he’s been very good, but Red Bull has been very good too. So when Charles performs at that level, we will need to perform at that level with him. And when I say ‘with confidence,’ I mean that’s how it is. When we are all at that level, I know he will perform the same way. I know he can do what’s required when we are all at that level. So, when we find ourselves in a position to offer a car capable of competing for the championship, which I believe is now within reach, Charles will play his part.” – the director of the Ferrari Driver Academy continued.
In 2024, we are seeing a much stronger Ferrari in races compared to the last few seasons. Points, after all, are distributed at the end of the race, while securing pole position in qualifying but not delivering on Sunday makes little sense.
“We all know what Charles is capable of. We’ve seen it over several years, and his reputation in qualifying has certainly solidified over these years, so much so that people used to tell me, ‘Two years ago, three years ago, yes, but in the race, he’s not as good as in qualifying.’ And you think: ‘Well, that’s not fair. It’s just that he’s very, very good in qualifying.’ That said, I think this year we’ve seen the result of the car and driver evolving. It has become clear that there are no points on Saturday and that all the points come on Sunday. Therefore, I think it’s true that we’ve shifted our focus to improving the race car.” – the British engineer pointed out.
“Tire management is, of course, always a relevant topic. But, you know, we’ve seen Charles deliver some great races. I remember the ’22 race in Austria, where Max had tire degradation issues, and Charles won with excellent driving. It’s not that Charles historically hasn’t been good with tires. I think it’s us, as a combination, that haven’t focused very well on tires. So I believe that what we’ve seen this year is the result of a greater focus on making the car work well in races and managing the tires, as well as Charles learning from previous years and refining his tire management skills and race management.”
“And I think he’s responded well to having a very strong teammate. I mean, we’ve talked a lot about Carlos’ qualities. And the fact is, Carlos probably doesn’t have the pace that Charles can show in qualifying. But, you know, if you look at Singapore last year and that race, you know, it really hurt Charles. It was a race where Charles, you would have thought, would be the favorite to win Singapore, often, often goes there with a lot of confidence, and of course, the fact that Carlos Sainz then snatched that race from under his nose really stung.”
“And I think those kinds of things have pushed him to focus on the need to finish the job on Sunday. And, I don’t want to say he never thought about it, but it means the focus shifts slightly if you move away from the idea that we just need to get the best qualifying car possible and do a qualifying lap, and then everything will happen on Sunday. So I think we’re seeing a better representation of Charles and us as a driver, as a car, and as a team,” Jock Clear concluded.
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