Charles Leclerc doesn’t seem to be 100% fit to compete in the 2023 US Grand Prix. Reports have been trickling in that the Monacan racing ace has been nursing an injury. The 25-year-old has reportedly been ailing from a dental problem. It doesn’t seem to be a wisdom tooth issue, rather, Leclerc is supposedly been struggling with a dental abscess, as reported by Sky Italia.
The abscess that Leclerc has been suffering from this weekend is a ‘bacterial inflammation of the tooth or gum’. As it turns out, such a problem isn’t that widely reported amongst athletes at such an elite level.
Touchdown at Austin for @Charles_Leclerc! 🤩
He will start on pole for Sunday’s race 👊#USGP #F1 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/A5xhcqbwME
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2023
Be that as it may, the Ferrari fans shouldn’t despair much. Even though Leclerc would be arguably in a lot of discomfort, the dental issue that he has been facing is largely manageable and should not impact his performance and focus during the race.
Charles Leclerc spotted in discomfort before the US Grand Prix
While Leclerc being reportedly in discomfort, it’s not been directly reported by the Scuderia. Instead, fans have scoured through pictures of the Monegasque all throughout the weekend where he has been seen clutching his face and seemingly in a lot of distress.
That being said, the reports of Charles Leclerc being plagued with a dental abscess isn’t a 100% confirmed report. Sky Italia, have been the media house that has put this report out as circulated on the social media site, X (formerly Twitter).
per sky italy, charles doesn’t have a wisdom tooth problem but a dental abscess, a bacterial inflammation of the tooth! he’s not 100%. #usGP pic.twitter.com/WIzI6E0Zqj
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) October 22, 2023
While the race today at the Circuit of the Americas would be uncomfortable for Leclerc to pursue, this season has been nothing short of unsettling for him, either.
Leclerc and Ferrari need to take stock of 2024
When the season started, Ferrari and Leclerc would’ve hoped for a better season. In reality, the SF-23 has been nowhere near the might of Max Verstappen and the Bulls. Resultantly, Leclerc and the team have had to settle for playing second fiddle all along.
But for 2024, the Scuderia have high hopes. The team have been putting a lot of time and effort in developing the car into a title contender. As a result, the team have clawed back some pace to the front-runners. But there is still some way to go before they can catch and eclipse the Bulls.
With how the team have made strides forwards, Charles Leclerc can be expected to be in a championship fight with Max Verstappen come 2024.
