As Charles Leclerc departed Budapest following another dramatic weekend that defined his Ferrari team’s first half of the 2022 Formula One season, the talented Monégasque stayed stubbornly hopeful.
This pilot has had a difficult period that would put anyone to the test. In the first three races of the season, the 24-year-old, competing for the championship for the first time in his still-young career, delivered the type of results that shout world champion potential. His result was a 46-point advantage (almost two races) over current titleholder Max Verstappen. His driving endeavors were near immaculate, his speed breathtaking, and the Ferrari package he was handed was the finest they’d supplied in decades. Leclerc and Ferrari were legitimate title challengers, and rightly so. Such pilots are worth betting on if you find a good, reliable booking company. Go to Superbet South Africa to learn about such an online company.
Except for a spectacular triumph in Austria, every race afterward has been fraught with heartbreak. In Imola, Leclerc whirled unexpectedly and fell from third to sixth. When dominating in Spain and Azerbaijan, engine issues occurred. In Monaco and Silverstone, poor strategic choices cost him the advantage. Due to an unorthodox tire strategy in Hungary, he dropped from first to sixth place. And a blunder while attempting to close the distance on Verstappen caused him to crash and lose the lead in France.
That puts Leclerc 80 points behind Verstappen with nine Grands Prix remaining. After those heartbreaking setbacks, Leclerc presented a despondent image in the TV booth. His expression reveals the dissatisfaction that is gnawing at him. When a team error occurs, Leclerc protects Ferrari because he is a genuine team player. When it’s his fault, he has no cover—he is highly critical of himself.
In France, he admitted his mistake. He didn’t blame the weather or try to come up with another reason. That’s not his personality. But he also didn’t retaliate for trying to create a gap and looking for that additional tenth of a second because, in his perspective, if he isn’t doing that, he isn’t doing everything he can to win the championship and return the title to Ferrari for the first time in more than a decade.
Leclerc is racing at a good degree; he is second in F1’s Standings with an 8.3 out of 10, 0.5 points behind Verstappen, and has seven poles in this season’s 13 races. The bad news is that he only won two of those P1 positions and has just five podiums, one fewer than teammate Carlos Sainz.
He has the lowest average race finishing position among the top four drivers in the championship. Verstappen has a 1.82, Sergio Perez has a 2.80, Sainz has a 2.89, and the Monegasque has a 3.20. Leclerc, on the other hand, is upbeat.
Taking into consideration the fastest lap points and scores for the Sprint in Brazil, there are still 242 points available on the table. Just like the championship swung 46 points to Leclerc and then 80 to Verstappen, it can swing again—even though his Dutch adversary is riding high right now.
According to Leclerc, Ferrari’s F1-75 is quick. That is the most difficult part. They just need to cut out the blunders and wish for some good fortune along the road. Leclerc’s ability to categorize the anguish of poor reliability or incorrect strategy calls, as well as his faults, means that if those issues are straightened out, he can get the best of a speedy car.
His goal now is simple: win every race left in the season and pray that’s sufficient to beat Verstappen.
