Admitting Own Shortcomings, Here Is How Charles Leclerc Overturned Scuderia Ferrari Fortunes at Spa-Francorchamps

Since the start of the season, Charles Leclerc has made it clear that the SF-23 is inconsistent. Due to strategic errors and DNFs, 2023 hadn’t been the best year for the Monegasque. Along with these problems, the Monegasque doesn’t think of himself as a driver who can handle challenging racing circumstances. The fortune wheel at the Belgian Grand Prix, however, tells an interesting tale about the spirit of the Monegasque, as the 25-year-old confessed his personal shortcomings to change the Scuderia’s fortunes at the Belgian GP.

The clarity with which an athlete perceives their own flaws is what inspires them to push past all of their handicaps and shortcomings. After the Austrian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc admitted he wasn’t performing as well as he would have liked to be in those mixed conditions. On Sky Sports, the 25-year-old admitted, “I’m not at the level I would like to be in these mixed conditions: I don’t have the feeling with the car, and I struggle a lot. There are no excuses, and I need to improve in this situation.”

Leclerc was well aware that the Hungarian Grand Prix was on the track where the team had the opportunity to perform well with an unpredictable SF23, as it suited Ferrari much better. But there, the Prancing Horse failed to put up a show. With that, the 25-year-old was only left with the choice to be ready to face his constraints and this is exactly what the Monegasque did at Spa Francorchamps.

Leclerc overcame his weakness and, after winning the pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, brought home a podium for the team. However, changing the fortunes remained a big point since the Belgian Grand Prix was held on a track that wasn’t expected to be favorable for Ferrari. Leclerc, while narrating the account of he overcame the shortcoming, said, “I was too aggressive in scenarios like this, I made too many mistakes,” as per Corriere.it.

He further elaborated, “Now I understand where I have to intervene. I tried with small changes, on the set-up, on the way to deal with every single corner. This gave me confidence, the times improved lap after lap. Small innovations that make a big difference.” [Translated Via Google]

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While the mistakes persisted throughout the 2023 season as an aspect of Prancing Horse’s working atmosphere, Leclerc credited the change in perspective brought about by Frederic Vasseur‘s influence.

Charles Leclerc attributes Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur for the change in Mindset

Mattia Binotto handed over control of Ferrari to Frederic Vasseur, and the sole factor that the Frenchman focused on transforming the Prancing Horse was – time. Although any amazing performance is yet to be seen, Charles Leclerc acknowledged Frederic Vasseur for the significant changes in mindset that have already taken place.

The Ferrari Wonder described how Vasseur is developing a fresh approach in his interview with the GP blog. He stated, “He’s slowly implementing this new mindset, which I think is positive and will make a difference in the long term.”

However, in order to see the changes on the track, Leclerc said that the team and the fans need to give Vasseur time. He added, “But it’s also his first season within the team, so we need to give him time in order to see these changes take form on track.”

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Ferrari is currently in fourth place with 191 points, and as Red Bull has eliminated any chance of them falling from first place, P2 remains the best possible position. And if the squad continued to focus on their flaws, we can hope to see the Tifosi smile once more.