Charles Leclerc has had a woeful start to the 2023 season after he was forced to retire in the closing stages of the opening race in Bahrain. His control electronics unit, which he changed right before the Bahrain GP, was the reason behind his retirement. What followed was apparent chaos and instability within the Ferrari camp back in Maranello.
Ferrari’s head of aerodynamics David Sanchez stepped down from his position, and there were rumors of other key figures leaving the outfit. Many Ferrari fans are worried that the team’s crisis behind the scenes, will affect their season. They are already miles off the pace compared to their main rivals Red Bull, and even Aston Martin outperformed them in Bahrain.
The signs have been ominous in Ferrari over the last few weeks, but Leclerc insists that most of what fans are hearing, is false. Leclerc revealed that he too was confused about what the team dynamic would be like in Maranello, but when he visited the headquarters after the Bahrain GP, he was surprised to see everyone so positive and optimistic.
Charles Leclerc urges Ferrari to focus on problems on the track
Ferrari started the 2022 season on a very strong note, winning two of the opening three races. This made them the early favorite for both world championships, but reliability issues and strategy goof-ups limited their title charge. Red Bull ended up winning the constructors’ title and Max Verstappen, his second consecutive drivers’ title.
Ferrari’s main objective this year was the world championship, something that has eluded them since 2008. However, the early signs aren’t good and Red Bull’s superior pace is presumably, far too big a gap to cover on short notice.
Despite these problems, Leclerc urges his team to remain optimistic and fight on. In particular, he wants the members of his squad to not pay attention to what the outside world is saying about their supposed crisis.
Lots of races left for Ferrari to recover
Last year, Leclerc and Ferrari were miles ahead of Verstappen and Red Bull after the first three races of the season. However, as the year progressed, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit closed the gap, and ultimately emerged victorious.
Leclerc wants Ferrari to adopt a similar mentality as they head into the coming rounds. According to the 25-year-old, if they keep their head down and work hard, they can still fight for both championships.
