“Charles Can Do Magic”: Frederic Vasseur Bows Down to Leclerc’s Talents While Exposing Ferrari’s Drawbacks

In 2019, Charles Leclerc joined the Prancing Horse, and it was obvious that the young man had the potential to make history. He has been vying for the coveted championship, but mistakes by both Leclerc and Ferrari have cost him certain crucial points that could have led to victory. However, after rumors concerning his errors circulated, his team boss, Frederic Vasseur, has now drawn attention to Ferrari’s drawback while bowing down to Leclerc’s talent.

The Monegasque has unquestionably excelled in the qualifications. The Ferrari Wonder has so far in his career advanced to the third round of qualifying 82 times. Furthermore, since the 2019 Monaco GP to the Spanish Grand Prix this year, Leclerc had never finished outside of Q1. The Monegasque has so far had 19 poles. His performance on race day, however, is what needs to be highlighted as the 25-year-old has only converted results into victories four times.

So what exactly led to this outcome from such a competent driver? Why is Leclerc unable to turn the pole position into victories? To emphasize this, Frederic Vasseur, who took over Ferrari from Mattia Binotto the last winter, has pointed out the drawback of the Scuderia’s vehicle which has kept the Monaco driver at bay with the championship.

Ferrari has occasionally brought their car to the top despite the tire degradation issue, and at the Canadian GP, the team showed some signs of recovery with efficiency. However, that is a narrative about how the SF-23’s performance highly depends on the track. While talking to Motorsports Italy, Frederic Vasseur has bowed down to Leclerc’s skill in a single lap pace.

He said, “Charles can do magical things in the time trial. He can go further than others. However, sometimes he goes beyond the limits, as he always wants to get the most out of the car, even if the car does not allow for this. He always wants to win, so he can make mistakes, as we saw at the beginning of the season.” [Translated via Google]

READ MORE: After Grabbing Headlines for Brutally Lashing Out at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc Changes Track to Pledge His Allegiance to the Maranello Team

Along with the pain of pace, strategy errors, and driver errors, the Ferrari’s problem continues to exist as the SF-23 has been so unpredictable. These various circumstances have utterly irritated Leclerc. And in a recent interview, Leclerc revealed that the talks over a new F1 contract have been started with the Scuderia.

Charles Leclerc explains the contract situation with Ferrari in more detail

Charles Leclerc has been urged by numerous experts and analysts to quit Ferrari in recent weeks since the Prancing Horse cannot offer him a competitive vehicle. Additionally, this has been a hot topic as Leclerc’s current contract with the Maranello-based team is set to end in 2024. So given that suggestions like switching to Alpine, Aston Martin, and Mercedes had already made their way, what does Leclerc have to say in this position about his new deal?

Speaking ahead of a doubleheader weekend, Leclerc said as per Crash.net, “I mean, I still feel like a year-and-a-half is a long way to go. But I didn’t tell myself any particular deadlines. Slowly. We’re starting slowly to speak about it, yes.”

He added further by elaborating his statement, “When I say we slowly started talking about it, it’s just here and there, but nothing special, nothing specific. Again, I feel like it’s a long way to go and I don’t feel it’s now the time to start talking about it.”

WATCH THIS STORY: How Long Will Charles Leclerc Wait for Ferrari – Will He Leave for Some Other Team Post-2024?

By sticking with Ferrari, the Monegasque has only received great acclaim rather than the championship he craves, so do you believe the 25-year-old will make a decision on his new deal soon?