By: The character trait of Charles Leclerc we want to discuss today can be viewed in two different ways. It could be criticised, but it can also be seen as a strength. We will try to set it out as clearly as possible, leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
From the day Leclerc entered Formula 1, he has always said he had one dream: to win with Scuderia Ferrari. Over the years, he has repeatedly shown the immense grit and determination with which he wants to pursue that goal. At Ferrari since 2019, the Monegasque offered further proof of his loyalty this year by renewing his contract shortly before the Monaco Grand Prix, reportedly until 2030.
Charles has always been regarded as a driver capable of great things. He has the speed, the passion and the determination. Perhaps the only thing he truly lacks in order to become a world champion, aside from a car that allows him to do so, is ambition.
A completely mistaken perception
We say this because, in reading comments on social media and speaking to people in everyday life, we have found that the public has a distorted view of Charles Leclerc. Many believe the Monegasque is quick, certainly, but that he cannot help the team find the right set-up or even lead it through development. This is entirely untrue and does not reflect the work the driver has done, and is currently doing, at Ferrari.
The notebook Leclerc never parts with
The young driver, almost 29 years old (born on 16 October 1997), has always been like a sponge alongside the team-mates he has had. Team-mates whom, incidentally, he has beaten. Unfortunately, however, in no case and with none of them has he tried to assert himself within the garage. He has beaten Vettel, Sainz and Hamilton, but has never sought to overshadow them in front of the engineers.
The almost hidden side of Charles Leclerc
Yet Leclerc is always extremely precise and methodical, with an almost obsessive attention to detail. He tries to absorb everything from others that could be useful to him. From four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, he learned a method: the use of the notebook he never parts with, in which he writes everything down. For Ferrari’s engineers, he is as important a reference point as Hamilton, yet that message has failed to reach the fans.
In the prevailing view among the fanbase, development was initially entrusted to Vettel, then supposedly passed to Sainz and is now, finally, in Hamilton’s hands. Nothing could be further from the truth. Leclerc carries as much weight as Lewis. The only difference is that he has no interest in putting himself in the spotlight in that respect. That is why we consider him a prodigy without ambition: the kind driver who prefers to blame himself before others, and to leave others the credit even for his own work.
Cover and internal photo: X, Ferrari
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