Ferrari has been ‘the’ team in Formula 1. Ever since its first race in 1950, they have gone on to scale the biggest of challenges and come out with flying colors. In their case, ‘what glitters is gold’. Or should we say – ‘was gold’? Their current state is something that even the internal stakeholders lament, let alone the critics. And they have been now given a reminder of their rich history in F1 in an attempt to revive them.
In 73 years of being on the grid, they have won a total of 31 World championships – 15 drivers’ championships and 16 constructors’ championships. The last of those came in 2008 with the Maranello outfit winning the constructors’ championship that year. Since then, it has been the driest spell they’ve had – almost a drought. In the latest episode of ‘The Race F1 Podcast’, the host attempted to shake Charles Leclerc and Co. back to reality as the undesirable drought continues.
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The host said, “What we got to remember is that they are Ferrari. Ferrari should be a team that is competing for championships. That is what they are. I know there’s no God-given right to it but that’s what we expect from a team like Ferrari. But it’s been pretty disappointing.”
He further added, saying, “Again, it’s the same old thing – they do have the speed, they’re not bad. It’s just on someday, anything can happen. From tire choice to strategy to lap time, anything can happen. That’s really been the downfall, to be honest. From one weekend to the next, there just seems to be this randomness.”
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And following these sad statements come Leclerc’s comments about his contract with Ferrari that don’t sound as optimistic as before.
Charles Leclerc Contradicts His Optimistic Statements as Future With Ferrari Looks Uncertain
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It was reported that the Monegasque was offered a 5-year, $204 million contract from Ferrari. And everything looked set for their partnership to continue. But, in a recent interview, Leclerc said that though he has complete faith in the team, what the team wants from him is still a mystery.
Leclerc said, as quoted by Mirror, “The discussions about the contract haven’t started yet, but everything is clear to me, I love Ferrari and I want to win here. That is my priority. We are aligned. I know what is coming and I have faith. The rumors that put me in other teams just means that I’m doing my job well. But I’m indifferent about them because I know what I want. I still don’t know what Ferrari wants from me.”
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This statement comes out of nowhere, considering that the deal looked set to go through. Nevertheless, for both Ferrari and Leclerc, the other is the best option they have for now.