Charles Leclerc is perhaps getting ready to his finest alternative but to assert the System 1 world championship in 2025. Nonetheless, to grab the crown, he is aware of he’ll want to beat the game’s most profitable driver thus far.
Since becoming a member of Ferrari again in 2019, Charles Leclerc has endured years of rebuilding with the Scuderia. It wasn’t till 2024 that Ferrari delivered a constant problem within the constructors’ championship, ending a mere 14 factors behind McLaren. Impressively, they outscored each different crew throughout the last two triple-headers of the season. With minimal regulatory modifications for 2025, Ferrari might very effectively begin the Australian Grand Prix because the crew to beat.
Leclerc loved his most profitable season but in 2024, securing a career-high 13 podiums and equaling his finest season win tally of three. He additionally closed the hole to Max Verstappen extra considerably than he did in 2022, decreasing the factors deficit to 81 in comparison with 146, regardless of slipping one place within the standings (from second to 3rd).
Karun Chandhok has hailed Leclerc because the second-best driver of 2024, rating him simply behind the world champion. This evaluation displays what many imagine is the Monegasque driver’s most polished and full kind as a driver.
Martin Brundle has gone a step additional, suggesting that Charles Leclerc is perhaps sooner than Max Verstappen when it comes to qualifying tempo. This might spell hassle for Lewis Hamilton, who endured his poorest-ever qualifying season in 2024.
Charles Leclerc’s resolve: A teammate’s title will not be his concern
Effectively-known Sky Italy commentator Carlo Vanzini famously dubbed the Monegasque driver “Il Predestinato” (The Predestined One), a nickname that gained prominence in 2019 when Charles Leclerc clinched his first Grand Prix victories at Spa and Monza, Ferrari’s house circuit.
Throughout an episode of the *Lo Stagista Podcast* in 2022, Carlo Vanzini revealed the origins of the moniker. When Leclerc was simply 15, he attended Sky for media coaching, the place Carlo Vanzini staged a mock press convention. Requested how he would react if he had been on pole whereas his teammate fought for the championship, the Monegasque firmly acknowledged that he would prioritize his personal race over aiding the sister automotive.
Later, Charles Leclerc approached the Sky Italy commentator to emphasise that he would by no means enable himself to be in such a place. Even earlier than his System 1 profession started, Charles Leclerc was firm: no teammate’s ambitions would take priority over his personal pursuit of glory. Carlo Vanzini recalled that after the mock press convention, the Monegasque adopted him exterior and defined that the query had been flawed. Leclerc instructed him it will by no means be doable for him to be in a state of affairs the place he was preventing for the title and his teammate was the one contesting it as an alternative.
Charles Leclerc seems able to undertake a method much like Max Verstappen’s because the looming battle with Lewis Hamilton attracts nearer. His remarks function a transparent, symbolic warning to Hamilton forward of his much-anticipated debut with Ferrari. Though Leclerc will not be sometimes recognized for being an overtly aggressive driver, that would very effectively change if the System 1 drivers’ championship is at stake.
At 27 years previous, Leclerc appears to be approaching his prime. In stark distinction, Hamilton is nearing 40, with some murmurs starting to flow into concerning a possible decline in his efficiency.
Leclerc acknowledges that the preliminary months of their partnership could also be tough, notably when it comes to managing Hamilton’s immense fame. Whereas the Monegasque driver has been the focus on the Maranello crew in the previous couple of years, he acknowledges that Lewis Hamilton, as one of the crucial recognizable figures within the sport, might simply overshadow him.
Nonetheless, Charles Leclerc has made it clear that he’s ready to channel his internal Max Verstappen when required. Ought to he discover himself able to defend a championship lead late within the season, he’s absolutely ready to “play with the principles” with the intention to safe victory.
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