Charles Leclerc has opened up on the pressure he feels because of driving for a huge team such as Ferrari. He made a reference to legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher, who won five consecutive titles with the Prancing Horse between 2000 and 2004.
While speaking to Bild, the 25-year-old said, “There’s always pressure in Formula 1 – especially at Ferrari. It’s just a special team with very special fans. They have this never-ending passion for the team.”
Leclerc then used the example of Schumacher and former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt to explain why he cannot complain much. “We have to be able to deal with it. Michael (Schumacher) and Jean (Todt) also had immense pressure and still won several world championships in a row. So we can’t complain”, he explained.
Charles Leclerc explains if he enjoys the pressure at Ferrari
When asked if he enjoys the pressure himself at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc replied yes but also added that he does not feel it too much. The Monegasque explained his point by adding that since he has grown up with this kind of pressure, he is now used to it.
However, he did make it clear that this does not mean that he is ‘deeply relaxed’. He stated it is the pressure that gets the best out of him as he needs it to outperform his competition.
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Leclerc’s brilliance in Baku helps him move higher in the world championship
After an awful start to the 2023 campaign with two DNFs and one sixth-place finish, Charles Leclerc finally produced an outstanding performance at this past weekend’s race in Baku. The Monegasque first registered a fantastic second-place finish in the sprint race before finishing third in the main race.
As a result of this much-improved performance, he increased his points tally to 28 for the season and moved up to sixth in the championship. He is now just six points behind his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
The 25-year-old will now hope that his performance in Baku was only a start and that he can score many more points for the team in the races to come. And he will not have much time to reflect on his performance as the next race in Miami takes place later this week.
