Going into the season finale, Charles Leclerc is trailing Max Verstappen by 46-points. The Dutchman sealed the 2022 title with 4 races to spare. Leclerc and Ferrari were potentially up for a full-year battle with Verstappen and Red Bull. Although it just did not pan out the way they expected it. Leclerc recently discussed his 2022 title battle with a Verstappen fan in a club restaurant!

The Verstappen fan was poking Charles Leclerc by constantly bringing up how he and Ferrari fell short against Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The fan asked Leclerc what his vision was (for the next season perhaps).

To this, Charles replied, “We need to finish in front. But Red Bull is a strong team. Especially in the second part of the [2022] season, they managed to bring upgrades and they are strong. They have got a very very good pace in the car. So, it’s gonna be difficult. But it’s possible [to beat Red Bull and Verstappen].”

Further on, a man who accompanied Leclerc confidently spoke that they can win the championship in 2023. He said, “Most Important: We [Leclerc and Ferrari] are winning the Championship next year [2023].” On this Leclerc affirmed it, saying, “Exactly!”

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The drunk fan kept probing Leclerc. And the Monegasque just smirked and continued to eat his food. It has been a really frustrating year for Leclerc and Ferrari in the championship. Leclerc’s reaction just reflected the same.

Fan Reactions to Charles Leclerc footage Arguing with the Verstappen fan

Here are some of the social media reactions from F1 fans upon watching this footage of Charles Leclerc with the Verstappen fan.

Ferrari had a dream start to the 2022 season with its F1-75 challenger (their 2022 car). Charles Leclerc won 2 of the first 3 races and had a commanding lead over his chief rival Max Verstappen.

And then the title challenge started falling apart, as Leclerc suffered from multiple DNFs in Spain, Azerbaijan, and France. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Red Bull charged back to take the lead in both the driver’s and constructor’s standings.

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Going into 2023, Leclerc is determined to make amends and get back into title contention. He will hope for Ferrari to back him and enable him to fight Verstappen for the championship. What do you think? Can Leclerc and Ferrari challenge for the 2023 title?