Charles Leclerc saw his championship slip out of his clutches last year. He still finished on a high note at the end of the season fighting with the second Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, after failing to beat the champion, Max Verstappen. However, for a man in a race-winning car and team with the most successful pedigree in F1, that perhaps maybe not be enough. After the winter break, Charles Leclerc has come back with renewed energy and zeal. And further rejuvenation came his way when he stepped into a piece of history to experience the Ferrari championship-winning legacy.

The Red Barron, Michael Schumacher, made Ferrari great again. The German won 5 consecutive championships with the most iconic team in the sport, cementing the Maranello-based outfit’s presence in history. Recently, the newer man at Ferrari, Leclerc, got to drive the championship-winning car F-2003. In Beyond the Grid Podcast, Charles Leclerc was asked, “Also in the winter, you got to drive a legendary Formula 1 car, the Ferrari that Michael Schumacher took to victory in the 2003 F1 world championship”

Leclerc said, “This was really incredible. First of all, I have to thank my friend for this opportunity as it was his car that he bought some months ago. And we went to Abu Dhabi, and it was like Karting day with a Formula 1 car. He has a 2017 car, and he has a 2003 car. We would jump from one car to the other whenever we wanted. We did that for the whole afternoon, which was incredible. The 2003 car is very, very special. On the other hand, it also shows how much progress there was from 2003 to now.”

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From driving a championship-winning car to driving his to claim the championship, Charles Leclerc has had his target set. However, the last year’s problems have been claimed to be resolved but a few may still loom over the Italian team and have been brushed off by the Monegasque.

Charles Leclerc is not worried about a tire deg repeat telecast from last year

Amidst the ever-increasing problems of Ferrari in 2022, one was the problem of massive tire degradation. As compared to their biggest rivals, Red Bull and sometimes even Mercedes, the Maranello-based cars were facing difficulty in saving tires to increase efficiency on the track. However, Leclerc doesn’t seem bothered by it.

As per Motorsport Turkey, Leclerc told, “We had already tried some of the new tires in Abu Dhabi last year. The front tires seem to be stronger, which may affect the stability of the car a bit. But it’s pretty easy to overshadow that with your driving style and balance it out the other way, so I don’t think the tires will have a big impact.”

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Do you think Charles Leclerc can claim the title that slipped out of his clutches last season? Can the Ferrari driver do it this time around?