Today, Charles Leclerc is widely regarded as the cornerstone of Ferrari’s Formula 1 future, but his promotion to the Scuderia was far from a universally celebrated decision inside Maranello.
Long before Charles Leclerc became Ferrari’s lead driver and signed a long-term contract extension that could see him become one of the longest-serving drivers in the team’s history, some influential voices within the organization questioned whether he was ready for such a huge responsibility. According to former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, there was significant internal debate surrounding the decision to place the young Monegasque in one of Formula 1’s most demanding seats.
Looking back now, with Charles Leclerc firmly established as one of the fastest and most highly rated drivers on the grid, those concerns may seem surprising. However, in 2018, Ferrari was facing a complex situation that made the decision much more controversial than it appears in hindsight.
Ferrari faced a difficult choice during a crucial period
Charles Leclerc had joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016 and quickly emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in motorsport. After winning the Formula 2 championship at the first attempt, he made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber in 2018 and immediately impressed with his speed, consistency and maturity.
Despite driving for a midfield team, Charles Leclerc scored points ten times during his rookie campaign and regularly outperformed expectations. His performances convinced Ferrari’s senior management that he possessed the talent required to become a future world champion.
Yet promoting him to the senior team was not a straightforward decision. Ferrari would need to part ways with Kimi Raikkonen, the last driver to win a world championship for the Scuderia in 2007, in order to make room for the academy graduate.
Although Kimi Raikkonen remained a respected figure within the team, Ferrari had begun searching for a driver capable of leading the project into a new era. Charles Leclerc appeared to be the ideal candidate, but not everyone shared that view.
Some Ferrari personnel feared Charles Leclerc lacked experience
Speaking about that period in an interview with Leo Turrini, Maurizio Arrivabene explained that internal discussions over Charles Leclerc’s promotion were far from unanimous.
The former Ferrari boss revealed that several members of the team believed the young driver was simply too inexperienced to handle the enormous pressure associated with racing for Formula 1’s most iconic team. At the same time, Ferrari was still fully focused on its championship campaign with Sebastian Vettel.
Arrivabene indicated that introducing such a young driver into the team while Ferrari was fighting Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for world titles was viewed by some as a significant risk. The concern was that relying on a second-year Formula 1 driver could potentially weaken the team’s title challenge at a crucial stage.
Those concerns became even more understandable considering the context of the 2018 season. Until the closing stages of the championship, Ferrari still believed Sebastian Vettel could challenge Lewis Hamilton for the Drivers’ Championship, making stability a priority for many inside the organization.
Charles Leclerc quickly silenced the doubters
Ferrari ultimately decided to trust its young academy star, and the decision paid off almost immediately.
During his first season with the Scuderia in 2019, Charles Leclerc demonstrated that he was ready to compete at the highest level. He secured his maiden Formula 1 victory at Spa-Francorchamps before delivering an unforgettable triumph one week later at Monza, ending Ferrari’s long wait for a home victory in front of the passionate Italian fans.
Those victories transformed perceptions both inside and outside the team. Any lingering doubts regarding Charles Leclerc’s readiness quickly disappeared as he established himself as one of Formula 1’s elite talents.
The achievement was particularly remarkable considering Ferrari had not entrusted such an inexperienced driver with a race seat since the arrival of Gilles Villeneuve decades earlier. The gamble carried significant risk, but the reward proved even greater.
How Charles Leclerc changed Ferrari’s long-term plans
Many observers believe Ferrari initially expected Charles Leclerc to provide stronger competition for Sebastian Vettel than Kimi Raikkonen had been able to offer in recent seasons. However, the impact of the young Monegasque exceeded virtually every expectation.
Rather than serving as a supporting figure, the Monegasque immediately challenged Sebastian Vettel on equal terms. Over the course of the 2019 season, the Monegasque outscored the four-time world champion by 24 points and frequently demonstrated superior pace in both qualifying and race conditions.
That shift in competitiveness had major consequences for Ferrari’s future direction. Before the delayed start of the 2020 Formula 1 season, the team announced that Sebastian Vettel would leave at the end of the year, with Carlos Sainz arriving as his replacement for 2021.
For many within the paddock, Charles Leclerc’s emergence marked the beginning of a new era at Ferrari. The team increasingly built its project around the young driver, viewing him as the man capable of eventually ending the Scuderia’s long wait for another world championship.
While Charles Leclerc’s total of eight Formula 1 victories may appear modest compared to his number of starts, many analysts argue that the statistic says more about Ferrari’s fluctuating competitiveness than about the driver’s ability. Significantly, Ferrari teammates have managed only a handful of victories during the same period, highlighting the limitations of the machinery rather than any shortcomings on Charles Leclerc’s part.
Now partnered with Lewis Hamilton in one of the strongest driver line-ups on the Formula 1 grid, Charles Leclerc remains central to Ferrari’s ambitions. Looking back, the decision that once generated internal opposition at Maranello has become one of the most important and successful driver promotions in Ferrari’s modern history.
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