The past week ends bitterly for Charles Leclerc in Baku. On the trip to the next Formula 1 race, he misses his flight. He’s not having much luck at the moment. The pole expert needs a win.
It’s supposed to be his big year – Charles Leclerc’s. The Drivers’ title is finally set to find its way back to Maranello and Leclerc wants to take it there.
The last time a driver in a Ferrari won was in 2007, it was Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn retired from Formula 1 last year, aged 42. That alone shows how long the Scuderia has been waiting for the next triumph.
Fernando Alonso, once Michael Schumacher conqueror in 2005 and 2006 in the world championship fight, failed at Ferrari as a two-time champion. Sebastian Vettel came to Scuderia with four world titles and left with four. Leclerc, it’s him who should make it. And despite the depressing series of bad luck and breakdowns, he has no doubts. When asked where he saw himself at the end of this year, Leclerc answered the Italian newspaper “La Republicca” before the Canadian Grand Prix unequivocally and succinctly: “As world champion, basta.”
“We have recently suffered severe blows”
Doubts are certainly justified, however. The recent difficulties call into question the Ferrari’s suitability for the title, and reliability is the problem. “Time to relax”, headlined “Tuttosport”. “We have recently suffered hard blows,” said Leclerc. Especially him.
From the first four starting places that Leclerc recently secured, the 24-year-old Monegasque was unable to win. The second place in Miami was somehow manageable, even if the defending champion and rival Max Verstappen won there. What then followed was a retirement after pole in Spain, fourth place after pole at the home race in Monaco and a retirement in Azerbaijan after pole. Just 30 points in the four races instead of 100, ideally just for the placement.
The misery started earlier, at the Ferrari home race in Imola. Only sixth place, while Verstappen won the sprint and the main race. Leclerc’s lead of 46 points in the championship standings began to melt. Leclerc is now 34 points behind Verstappen, and his teammate Sergio Perez is also ahead of him in the classification with 13 points more. They weren’t euphoric at the start of the season when Leclerc won two of the first three races, and now they’re not devastated, said team boss Mattia Binotto.
“I know what it means to win”
The hot-blooded tifosi will not see it as soberly as the engineer. Leclerc couldn’t put up with the recent setbacks so soberly, even if the smart Monegasque always tried to keep his composure. “I know exactly how it feels and what it means to win,” Leclerc said of “La Republicca”: “It’s one of the few things that makes me happy.”
He only experienced the winning emotions four times, a rather manageable rate with 15 poles. His last victory – on April 10 in Melbourne – will be 70 days ago this Sunday when the Canadian Grand Prix begins in Montréal (8 p.m. CEST / Sky).
The fact that his arrival was not without problems also fits into the picture. After the disappointment in Baku, he returned home on Monday. But then his flight from Nice to Paris was delayed, and Leclerc missed the plane to Montréal. “But I arrived on time and healthy,” he reported.
And so he should have received the tornado warning on his cell phone in good time. The former Olympic city in North America is also expected to have a restless Saturday after the pit lane was already under water on Thursday. In order for it to actually be his year, Charles Leclerc still has to overcome a number of challenges.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
