Charles Leclerc Admits to What Gave Him the Upper Hand Over Ferrari F1 Teammate Carlos Sainz: “I Did a Thousand Things…”

You have got to feel for Charles Leclerc if you watched the 2022 season. While he started the season with a bang with 2 wins in the first 3 races, the rest of the season just imploded for him. Although just from a driving perspective, he has given all his efforts in order to win his maiden world championship.

Few expected Charles Leclerc and Ferrari to be one of the fastest packages in 2022. They surprised everyone with the F1-75 racecar and took a big lead in both championships in the initial few races.

Since Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, struggled and had a rough start to the season, there was a gulf in both teammates’ performances in the first half of 2022.

In an interview with AMuS, Leclerc mentioned whether it was the car or him making the difference in performance. He said, “I changed a few things. The way I work. The way I discipline myself at home. It was a bit freestyle last year [2021].”

The Monegasque stated how he changed his routine and work ethic with his team for the 2022 season. He added, “Whenever I was at home, I did a thousand things. Tbh, in 2021, I was very tired from the middle of the season until the end. That affected me and had an impact on the performance.”

Leclerc also said that maybe the 2022 car suits him better. He stated, “We had a big focus on how I can drive the car. That helped me start the season on a high level. I was able to concentrate on the details.”

Despite all these efforts, Ferrari still lacked seamless strategy and operational efficiency to back Leclerc’s consistent driving in 2022.

Read More: Ferrari Sees Strong Mercedes Threat in the Future: “Next Year Will Not Be…”

It may frustrate Leclerc that he bagged only 3 race wins this season. Though he knows there is room for improvement to increase that number next year.

Can Charles Leclerc iron out his 2022 mistakes to fight for the title?

Charles Leclerc tried to keep his championship challenge as long as possible this year. While he was enduring engine reliability issues and also pit stop mishaps with Ferrari, his driving was not completely flawless.

The first signs of this were evident at Imola when Leclerc was chasing the Red Bull cars leading the race. In a bid to climb up the order in the final stint, Leclerc spun at Turns 14 and 15 chicane. This cost him a potential podium and some crucial points in the title fight.

Post Imola, he suffered 2 DNFs in Barcelona and Baku. Though these were owing to engine reliability issues on the F1-75. The major frustration came because of Leclerc’s human error in France when he crashed out of the race lead.

At Circuit Paul Ricard, the 25-year-old was leading the French GP, when he had a moment at Turn 11. Leclerc spun out of his car in the long right-handed corner and went into the barriers. The frustration was noticeable in his voice on the team radio.

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Going into 2023, Leclerc will be determined to make amends for his mistakes. What do you think? Can Charles avoid such errors and mount a better championship challenge next season?