Charles Leclerc reflects on his start to the season and talks about his relationship with Frédéric Vasseur
In an interview with the newspaper "L'Equipe", the Ferrari driver says he takes responsibility for the mistakes made at the beginning of the season and speaks about the strong bond he has with his boss.
Charles Leclerc will compete this weekend in Monaco for his fifth Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco. Unlucky so far in the Principality, the Ferrari driver is determined to reverse the trend and give Frédéric Vasseur a nice birthday present, as he will celebrate his 55th birthday on Sunday, race day. Before discussing his relationship with the French boss, the Monégasque driver reflected, for the newspaper “L’Equipe”, on his difficult start to the season and notably the mistakes he made on the track.
(D) Risk is part of my job, I am a pilot, I have to push the limits. I’m not afraid to talk about my mistakes, to verbalize them. It probably causes me a bit of harm because when I look at my faults, they’re not that terrible. I made them and I’m not looking for excuses.
The driver of Ferrari number 16 notably reflects on his mistakes in Baku and Miami, which he still explains as a constant search for the limit. The mistake at the end of the qualifying session in Baku had no consequences (Leclerc had already set the fastest time of the session). We were restarted with worn tires, no one could improve. In Miami, there was the crash during free practice 2, where I was trying out some things, taking risks. For me, it’s important to try because when qualifying comes, you have to give it your all.
The only mistake that the 25-year-old driver acknowledges is the one in the qualifications in Miami: « But I think that my only true mistake is the one in the Miami qualifying session. I’m the kind of driver who never gives up on the first lap. In my second attempt, I try to go even faster because I feel that Pérez’s time is within my reach. And there it is, I make the mistake. In my opinion, there is a lot of talk about mistakes and not enough about the moments when we do great things. I achieved the two poles in Baku because I took risks. Pushing the limits pays off! »
Limits that Leclerc will have to be careful not to exceed this weekend on a circuit that doesn’t forgive any deviation from the racing line. We particularly remember his daring overtaking attempt at the Rascasse corner in 2019 on Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault. This move forced the local driver to retire from his first Monaco Grand Prix with the Scuderia.
In the same interview, Carlos Sainz’s teammate also talked about his relationship with his boss Frédéric Vasseur, a relationship that Leclerc describes as close and transparent.
« We have known each other for such a long time. We have a truly beautiful complicity and we have won together in other categories. So doing it in F1 would be incredible. He has always been tough on me, that’s what I love about Frédéric. Because when you arrive in Formula 1, people don’t tell you anything anymore. So there are really very few people who are honest enough to tell you straight to your face what’s wrong with you. Fred can say to you, «Clearly, you messed up there. That’s one mistake too many.» With Fred, there has always been this transparency and that’s what I particularly appreciate about him. »
After five Grand Prix races this season, Leclerc is currently in 7th place in the championship with 34 points. His best result so far was a third place finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
