Charles Leclerc came up second in the driver’s championship last season and fell behind the double-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. However, it was not even a close fight between Red Bull and Ferrari as Max Verstappen had it easy with a mammoth 454 points, a record in itself. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc only managed to gain 308 points. Despite starting well with two wins out of the first three races of the last season, Leclerc and Team Ferrari could not capitalize on it.
Given the history of the team, Ferrari is desperate to end their title drought with talented drivers in their camp like Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc himself. Hence, the added pressure on Charles Leclerc makes it more challenging than the other two teams. Other two contenders do not have to handle. According to Johnny Herbert, Former Formula One driver, this added pressure on Leclerc gives the other two teams an edge over Ferrari.
Impact Of The New Team Principal Of Ferrari
Herbert believes that Team Principals of the Silver Arrows and Red Bull, Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, respectively, know how to take the pressure off from their drivers, resulting in their successful seasons over the years. Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s new team principal, has worked with Charles Leclerc during their days together at Alfa Romeo. Since Leclerc and Vasseur go back a long way media raised questions. Like if Sainz and other drivers will be victims of partiality in the Ferrari team.
The new Ferrari boss has answered these questions stating that the team will treat every driver equally. “Nobody will receive any special treatment. The goal is to win it for Ferrari and not for any individual.” Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will get an equal amount of support. So that they can reach the collective goal of Team Ferrari. Under the new boss Ferrari team, fans will have their fingers crossed. They would like to see a collaborative effort from the group. Finally, making it to the 2023 driver’s championship title.
Brief Look At How The Hegemony On F1 Moved To Different Powerhouses
It has been fourteen years since Ferrari won a title. It has been a bitter finish to the seasons for the team and the fans ever since. The Legend of Michael Schumacher took Ferrari to the summit when they had an indomitable place in F1 motorsport. In recent times, for two consecutive years, Red Bull has been building their hegemony in Formula One with the two-time champion Dutchman Max Verstappen. And would like to go on for a long time like Ferrari and Mercedes.
A pretty similar hegemony to Schumacher’s Ferrari was what the Silver Arrows faced with Lewis Hamilton from 2014 to 2020. Today both Schumacher and Hamilton share seven driver’s championship titles, fighting for the GOAT debate. But Ferrari is hoping to get back to winning ways with Charles Leclerc. Can Charles Leclerc do better than his performance last year? Or Will his teammate, Carlos Sainz, come out on top of him and give him tough competition?