19 poles, 4 wins, and a conversion ratio of 21.05%—these are the numbers of Charles Leclerc in Formula 1 since he took his first pole in the 2019 Bahrain GP. The win percentage here puts Leclerc in a bad spotlight that doesn’t show the whole picture, i.e., the plight of Ferrari in recent years. Yet, the stat has been making the rounds, showing the alleged failure of the Monegasque to convert wins from a leading position.
The fans of the sport, seeing the stat, have come out in defense of the driver, who is hated by none. Knowing very well the potential of the driver, the fans know that behind this low conversion, strategic and reliability issues at Ferrari and an underlying dominance at Mercedes and Red Bull play a huge part. Plus, according to them, the numbers show how talented the 25-year-old driver is with his ability to extract the maximum performance out of a single lap, making him one of the best qualifiers on the grid.
First pole of the season, it feels really good and the lap was 🔥
The feeling with the car was really good too, proud @ScuderiaFerrari ❤️ pic.twitter.com/edaZ7tmxV9— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) April 28, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The stat in itself shows a bigger picture when we look at Max Verstappen’s numbers. Having made his debut in 2015, the Red Bull driver has 22 poles and 17 wins from them. Some even argued with Ayrton Senna’s numbers in 1987 when had achieved 16 poles, and had only converted 3 of them to wins with a conversion rate of 18.75%. This explains, with a less consistent car such as the Ferrari, how optimal the single-lap runs from Leclerc have been over the years, which deserves nothing but respect.
Fans defend Charles Leclerc with all their might
Charles Leclerc has been a heartthrob to all the fans of the sport. It’s not just the Tifosi who want to see him succeed, but everyone. The stat showed only half the picture, not representing the truest ability of the driver, who, since his debut with the Maranello-based outfit, has outscored his teammates in terms of both wins and poles.
This is such a casual take. If anything this just shows how huge his potential is. Outqualifying superior cars shows how fast he could be if Ferrari can give him a decent package over a season https://t.co/pK8xC19SOV
— Oli (@OAlessior) April 30, 2023
4 wins from 19 poles in a non dominant car that he consistently outperforms btw https://t.co/Hc7X2YPLOn
— cat (@charlesleslay) April 30, 2023
The narrative should be that Charles Leclerc is the best over one lap on the grid. Not this nonsense.
Charles Leclerc would give prime Lewis Hamilton a run for his money in qualifying. He's that good over one lap. https://t.co/Ky3xfJcf7R
— Roddur (@Roddur_F1) April 30, 2023
It doesn't mean he is Bad, It means he is the best driver that can extract a decent single lap from a relatively slow race car.
— 10.zil 💎 F1Shop.nft (@tarektm) May 1, 2023
21% is much better than Ayrton Senna 1985 to 1987. And 1992 to 1994. It is actually a testament Charles' talent that he can put the car in parts of the track where it clearly does not belong to extract extra pace over 1 lap. In equal machinery he would have a 90% win statistic.
— Chandan Ganwani (@chandan_ganwani) April 30, 2023
Charles even last year outscored his teammate by quite some margin and appears to be on track to do so even this year, despite falling behind early in the championship.
Hmmm… do we need this stat?
His pole rap is always great. As a Red Bull fan, his concentration deserves respect.— Fox / きつね 🦊 𝐑𝐁𝟏𝟗 (@Fox_konkon1) April 30, 2023
In reality Charles is such a devastating qualifier that his race pace is overlooked. He’s a champion in waiting with the right team. https://t.co/mJD1nLlqpr
— El Cheuco (@burntrubber44) April 30, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Poles for Leclerc since 2019 -19
Poles for Leclerc's teammates since 2019 – 5
Wins for Leclerc since 2019 – 5
Wins for Leclerc's teammates since 2019 – 2
keep slandering https://t.co/5MswEiA5z1
— Gory 🇮🇳 (@kimiisthegoat) May 1, 2023
The stats in Formula 1 don’t tell the entire story, and so has been the case with this one.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Achieve Rare F1 Feat With Colossal Disney Lightyear Collaboration
What do you think Leclerc could do in his power if he were to improve these numbers? A switch to another team, perhaps?