2019 Review – Charles Leclerc: A Season Full of Promises

Charles Leclerc’s career never ceases to amaze. As a pure product of the Ferrari Driver Academy, he has consistently proven that Ferrari bet on the right horse. Indeed, by joining the SF90 seat, he became the youngest driver to race for the prancing horse team. The expectations of his team combined with the pressure from the tifosi did not prevent Charles Leclerc from shining and thriving, like a seasoned veteran, at the wheel of a single-seater belonging to the top teams.

Some observers thought that the arrival of the Monegasque driver was premature, that he wouldn’t have the shoulders to secure his place with the Reds, and that it would have been better to leave Kimi Räikkönen at the wheel of the Ferrari. But it must be acknowledged that Charles Leclerc has managed to dispel these doubts.

Ferrari had established a hierarchy among its drivers, with Leclerc holding the position of the number two driver compared to his German teammate. The Monegasque driver was supposed to step aside in favor of Sebastian Vettel if the situation warranted it. While this instruction was certainly followed in Melbourne, it was a different story during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Author of his first pole position in Formula 1, the young Monegasque aims for a victory in his second race with Ferrari. He is overtaken at the start by his teammate, and that’s when, for the first time this season, Charles Leclerc shows his team and his teammate that he won’t be confined to a secondary role. Despite the team’s orders, Leclerc attacks Vettel and overtakes him at the first corner. His momentum is cut short by an engine problem, and he has to settle for a strong third place on the podium. The episode at Sakhir will be the first of a long list, where driven by his youth and enthusiasm, the young rookie will go against the orders of Scuderia Ferrari.

His first part of the season was a success, to say the least, despite a big mistake in Baku, which could perhaps be attributed to youth. Charles Leclerc has demonstrated the extent of his skills to the Scuderia’s bigwigs as well as the Tifosi. Although his first F1 victory was long-awaited, it was mainly due to a Scuderia Ferrari unable to provide a car capable of competing against an insatiable Mercedes.

His youth and perhaps his carefree attitude cost him at least one victory, as he was shaken in Austria by a Max Verstappen galvanized by an orange tide. Leclerc lets the Dutchman slip away and has to settle for second place on the podium. Moreover, the Austrian episode led to the emergence of a sort of Verstappen precedent, and track stewards would subsequently be more lenient when drivers were fighting. If this precedent hadn’t really helped Leclerc in his battle with Max Verstappen at Silverstone, it would significantly favor him during the Italian Grand Prix a few months later against Lewis Hamilton.

It took the return from vacation and the Belgian Grand Prix to finally see a Scuderia Ferrari capable of competing with Mercedes. The resurgence in performance of the Prancing Horse, combined with the Spa circuit, allowed Charles Leclerc to secure pole position in the qualifiers. Positioned perfectly for the race, the Monegasque driver didn’t let anyone steal his first F1 victory this time. Galvanized by this success, he delivered a remarkable performance at Monza by masterfully winning the Italian Grand Prix. Buoyed by the Italian crowd, he stood up with authority to the five-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton, earning significant points in the championship and also in the hearts of the Tifosi.

Chase away habits, they come back galloping … at the Singapore Grand Prix, Ferrari decides to favor a Vettel lacking in speed and especially in morale, over a Leclerc in full ascent. The choice to let Vettel pass Leclerc during the pit stop game was made by Ferrari to get their leader back in the saddle. Yet, Charles Leclerc was having an almost perfect race weekend at Marina Bay, one of Sebastian Vettel’s favorite tracks.

A futile effort since the German driver was unable to leverage this victory to consistently compete with his garage neighbor. After these three Ferrari victories, the rest of the season was largely marked by this Vettel-Leclerc rivalry, and it must be noted that it turned to the advantage of the Monegasque. Even though Mattia Binotto continuously assured that his two drivers got along and collaborated in the team’s interest, it is evident that Charles Leclerc does not intend to stay long in the shadow of his German counterpart. Numerous radio exchanges revealed the impatience and eagerness of the Monegasque to fight on track with his teammate. The Interlagos incident illustrates the entire season for the two Ferrari drivers. It also serves as a warning to Maranello’s leaders that they will need to manage them better to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

Charles Leclerc’s performance in this first year has been quite a success. Indeed, with his seven pole positions, he appears to be the fastest driver of the season. To his qualifying exploits, you can add two race victories and ten podiums. To reward this first year, Scuderia has decided to offer a 5-year contract to the young Monegasque, perhaps a way for them to show the confidence they have in him for his future within the Italian team.