Admitting Ferrari’s mid-season kind was “irritating”, Charles Leclerc says he didn’t get “a lot satisfaction” out of splitting the Purple Bull drivers as he didn’t put up a sustained battle for the World title.
Leclerc was the early season chief in 2022, the Monégasque successful in Bahrain and Australia to race out to a 34-point lead within the Drivers’ standings, 46 forward of Max Verstappen.
From there, nevertheless, it fell aside, Leclerc managing only one extra race win, Austria, whereas reliability points and technique blunders price him a number of wins.
He additionally isn’t with out blame, hitting the boundaries at Imola after which crashing on the French Grand Prix whereas main the race.
By the summer season break it was clear to everybody that Leclerc was preventing for second within the standings, with it being solely a matter of time earlier than Verstappen wrapped up the Drivers’ title.
He did simply that in Japan, Leclerc and the second Purple Bull of Sergio Perez preventing for second place by way of to the chequered flag. Leclerc secured that by three factors forward of the Mexican driver.
Requested if splitting the Purple Bull drivers gave him any satisfaction, he stated as per Motorsport.com: “Not an excessive amount of satisfaction, to be sincere.
“Trying again on the season, I believe it’s been a very good season, particularly 2020 and 2021 which have been two very troublesome years for the crew.
“It wasn’t a on condition that we might do such a step ahead and end second within the Drivers’ Championship and in addition second within the Constructors’ Championship. So for that I’m comfortable.
“However then clearly, wanting a bit extra into the season carefully, there’s been the center a part of the season that has been very irritating, the place we didn’t actually put every little thing collectively coming to Sunday. And that was that was irritating.
“So combined emotions about this season. However second place is sort of good. I simply hope it’s a step ahead, and that for subsequent yr, we are able to do one other step ahead.”
Admitting he was pissed off at varied levels of the season, Leclerc famously acquired a finger wag from crew boss Mattia Binotto after the British Grand Prix the place yet one more technique name from Ferrari’s pit wall price him a possible win.
That was certainly one of a possible six wins misplaced, the others being Spain and Baku, the place he retired whereas main because of reliability issues, Monaco the place it was technique, France when he crashed and Hungary the place he was put onto the slower laborious tyres.
“I believe within the warmth of the second and within the warmth of the season, races are coming fairly shortly,” Leclerc stated about coping with frustration. “So I believe it’s OK.
“It’s simply on the finish of the season, then you definately look again on the season and you’re feeling it a bit extra. However through the season, it wasn’t that troublesome.”
Strategist and No.1 is the primary job for brand new Ferrari crew boss
After two seasons with out a single grand prix win, Charles Leclerc is right in saying a season with three race wins and a runner-up result’s “fairly good”.
However “fairly” isn’t ok for Ferrari, nor the Tifosi.
It has been 15 years, 15 lengthy years in case you’re Tifosi, since Ferrari final lifted the Drivers’ Championship title. There have been close to misses alongside the way in which with each Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
And whereas Charles Leclerc’s P2 shouldn’t be thought of a close to miss, Ferrari bouncing again from two win-less campaigns to amass 4 in complete, that the title problem was undone by Ferrari’s reliability and Ferrari’s technique errors and Ferrari driver’s crashes provides to the heartache.
However can they battle again subsequent season?
2023 will see a brand new crew boss on the helm, Mattia Binotto have tendered his resignation, however whether or not that crew boss (stated to be Fred Vasseur) will make modifications to Ferrari’s technique crew stays to be seen. And whether or not he’ll choose a primary and stick with it’s also one other query that solely time will reply.
As a result of these, except for a quick RB18, are two issues Purple Bull had this season – a method goddess in Hannah Schmitz and a primary in Max Verstappen.
Whereas most crew bosses need to say race simply don’t crash, the reality is most World titles are received with a primary and a quantity two driver. Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Michael Schumacher and whomever.
Ferrari have to pin their colors to the mast… however first they want a change in technique crew as a result of Binotto maybe paid the value as an alternative of them.
Learn extra: Mattia Binotto known as Charles Leclerc personally to tell him of resignation