Do you know about racing drivers’ favorite book? Every racing driver uses that book extensively throughout their career and after it. It’s called, ‘101 Reasons why it wasn’t my fault.’ It is extremely rare that an F1 driver takes responsibility for something when they can put it out on something else. Nobody will ever know about it, right? However, Charles Leclerc is different. The Monegasque made a shocking admission to shoulder Ferrari’s disasters as the $204 million speculation continued. 

Carlos Sainz has come out as the better-performing Ferrari driver since the summer break ended. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, seems to be struggling in the car. Speculations have been going around of Ferrari offering Charles Leclerc a 5-year contract extension that will see him race until the end of the 2029 season. What’s more? The 5-year contract is believed to be worth $204 million. But is it advisable for Ferrari to sign the recently struggling Leclerc?

That decision is Ferrari’s to make and not ours. What we know is that Charles Leclerc recently came out and opened up about the struggles that he’s been having with the SF-23. And while the Monegasque could’ve easily put the problems of the design or characteristics of the car, he took responsibility for the problems that he’s been facing with the Ferrari car. 

According to the-race.com, Charles Leclerc said, “I mean, I’ve always been challenging the rear, a lot!” He added, “But it’s something that I hate to find excuses for, in a way. In the end, I am the driver, I am the one setting up the car. And this was my choice to have such a strong front at the beginning of the season when maybe the car couldn’t handle it because it was inconsistent. So, at the end, it’s still from me. Those mistakes, I know exactly why they arrived. And why it happened.”

Read More: Charles Leclerc Owes Regained Confidence to Ferrari’s $6,000,000 Masterstroke

Leclerc took responsibility for the characteristics of the SF23 and advised that it was his choice to go forward with the decision to set up the car the way it is now. However, this wasn’t always the tone the Leclerc used when it came to the SF23.

Charles Leclerc’s frustration with the SF23 early on in the season.

The SF23 suffered massively from tire degradation during the start of the season. Charles Leclerc described the car as being tricky to drive. We all know how Leclerc is always pushing the car to the limit and is amongst one of the best qualifiers on the grid. The tricky nature of the car, along with Leclerc’s will to push, led to many incidents at the start of the season. 

According to the Guardian, Charles Leclerc said, “My mentality has always been to push at the maximum and not leave anything on the table. When you have a trickier car to drive, as is the case for the first part of this season, mistakes happen. I know this. Whenever there is something missing I am trying to find something that is not there, I will always try to push the limit.”

Watch this Story: Charles Leclerc’s Resurgence Postponed as Frederic Vasseur Still Stands Engulfed in the Trial and Error Ways of Bouncing Back

What do you think of Leclerc taking the blame off Ferrari’s shoulders?