Charles Leclerc was the only other competitor that gave Max Verstappen a run for the money in 2022. The Monegasque led the championship during the early part of the season until his title chances fizzled out.
Ferrari had numerous issues with reliability and poor strategy calls that dented Leclerc’s campaign. And when it wasn’t the team, Leclerc’s errors cost him a fair bit.
But compared to their 2021 season, both Ferrari and Charles have undergone a magnificent upgrade. The team and driver look promising and shall be back to their winning motive once the 2023 season starts.
🎙️| Charles Leclerc:
“Looking back at the season, obviously from 2020 and 2021, we made a huge step forward.”
“But there were loads of missed opportunities and too many mistakes. So it’s been a frustrating season overall.” 💔
“I’m sure it’ll help us get better in future.” pic.twitter.com/g9VfjDI7Af
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) October 21, 2022
Yet, for someone like Charles, revisiting the troubled 202o or 2021 seasons is a nightmare. Ferrari had 2 winless seasons after being struck down by a poor car compared to their competitors.
Also Read: Charles Leclerc sends Christmas gift to ‘biggest fan’ Max Verstappen
What was Leclerc’s prediction for 2021
Charles Leclerc had forecasted some key predictions for his 2021 season. The predictions were sealed in an envelope and distributed back to the driver at the end of the season. But Leclerc had a rude shock resisting his old predictions.
Leclerc predicted, that his favourite races in 2021 would be Monaco and Monza. While he did manage to finish P4 in Monza despite putting in his best effort, Monaco would be a different story!
Leclerc started off well, qualifying on the pole in Monaco, despite crashing in the final part of the session. But this would prevent him from starting the race after a driveshaft issue.
Leclerc claimed, “I was feeling good to be back there in Monaco. But I was feeling very bad after the race.” And the Ferrari driver did thank the Tifosi for their relentless support in Monza which saw Daniel Ricciardo win the race and a McLaren gain a 1-2 finish.
He also predicted achieving 4 podiums. But Leclerc could manage just 1. “That is sad,” said Leclerc jokingly after reading his bold prediction, “It is making me depressed reading those points.”
Why Charles Leclerc finds his 2021 season ‘sad’?
2021 was not a great season for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque had just extended his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2024 and was seen as the future of the team. But the season was pretty harsh on him.
He managed no wins and only one podium, at Silverstone. Leclerc held on to the lead until the last 2 laps where Lewis Hamilton overtook him and would go on to win his home race.
He would grab his first pole in his home race in Monaco. But after detecting a broken driveshaft in his car, Leclerc was forced to withdraw from the race.
Biggest stories of #F1 2021@Charles_Leclerc crashes his way to pole position at his home race, the #MonacoGP. However, he damages his @ScuderiaFerrari so badly that he cannot start in the race. His home curse continues#Leclerc | #CL16 | #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/ej1aX7muxT
— Tobi Ebner (@Tobi_Ebner_90) December 23, 2021
He even started from the pole in Baku, but a lack of pace in the Ferrari SF21 would only salvage P4. In Russia, the team missed out on an opportunity to grab a podium. But Ferrari reacted slowly to the incoming rain, being the last to pit for intermediate tyres.
Eventually, he was beaten by newcomer Carlos Sainz who finished P5 in the championship compared to Leclerc’s P7. Sainz even bagged 4 podiums during the course of the season making it worse for the Monegasque.
This was the first time Charles was beaten by his teammate in his racing career. And that might be why 2021 was a season he’d rather forget.
