2023 is Charles Leclerc’s 5th year at Ferrari. The Monegasque came close to challenging for the title last year, but the strategy and failures messed up his chances. As the eternal wait continues, Charles Leclerc was compared to the Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher, suggesting how the Monegasque lacks one of the crucial elements that made Michael Schumacher a 7X world champion. What is this crucial element?

Michael Schumacher is arguably the greatest F1 driver to ever race in the Scuderia Red. Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996 after winning 2 world titles with Benetton. Prior to Schumacher’s joining, Ferrari last won a driver’s championship in 1979. However, under Jean Todt’s leadership and Michael Schumacher driving the team forward, the Maranello-based team went back to winning way when Schumacher won 5 consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004. 

A former Ferrari engineer who worked with Michael Schumacher has now come forward as he speaks about Ferrari’s failures and why they are not able to move forward. Luigi Mazzola suggests that Charles Leclerc is very passive in showing his disappointment and anger when it comes to failures. Leclerc joined the team in 2019 with no success at the Scuderia yet. Whereas with Michael Schumacher, the case was different, as he had a cunning edge about the way he went on with racing, pushed the team toward the goal, and did not accept any failures. 

According to Formulapassion.it, Luigi Mazolla said, “I saw Leclerc quite disappointed, he manifested it in interviews, his is a kind anger, he is proving to be a gentleman. I’ve heard that a pilot is missing. I saw it when a Prost or a Schumacher arrived. When a pilot arrives to whom ‘don’t tell him’ and above all who knows what is happening there, he makes a difference because he begins to drag the team towards a goal, he drags it in the right direction.”[Translated Via Google]

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After explaining how Michael Schumacher made a difference, Mazolla suggested that both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have hints of the ability Michael Schumacher possessed. 

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are clear about what they want from the car.

Mazolla explained that if Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen were put in the Ferrari, they might not be able to beat Charles Leclerc, who is well acquainted with the car. But they will definitely start giving feedback about what they want from the car and the changes that need to be made for them to perform. Look at Lewis Hamilton, who criticized the W14 design and the seating position. Whilst Mercedes did not change the sitting position, they worked around it to make Hamilton comfortable with the car. As a result, Hamilton finished P2 with the upgraded car. 

According to Formulapassion.it, Luigi Mazolla said, “Sainz and Leclerc are young, they didn’t win, they don’t have a coat of arms, try to imagine a Hamilton or a Verstappen in Ferrari who see this situation, what could happen? Clearly, they would not be stronger than Leclerc, but at that point, they would clearly begin to define what there would be to change, to improve, to do. It’s an important aspect in my opinion to consider.” [Translated Via Google]

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What do you make of Luigi Mazolla comparing Charles Leclerc to Michael Schumacher?