Christophe Perrin has helped many young drivers over the years. Perrin, who is currently serving as Hitech GP’s technical director, was instrumental in helping Charles Leclerc make it to F1 as well. During the 2016 GP3 season, Leclerc won the title in his rookie season under the guidance of Perrin for ART Grand Prix.
Several years later, the Monegasque has now made a name for himself in F1. Since many consider Leclerc as one of the greatest drivers today in F1, they have suggested that the only reason the 26-year-old has so far failed to win a championship is because of bad luck.
However, Perrin disagrees. Perrin believes that Leclerc lacks the consistency to take the fight to some of the top drivers such as Max Verstappen over the course of an entire season.
Leclerc’s Monaco curse
2017 F2 Feature Race: Suspension
2017 F2 Sprint Race: Electrical
2018 F1 Race: Brake Failure
2019 F1 Quali: Strategy Fail
2019 F1 Race: Collision Damage
2021 F1 Quali: Crashed
2021 F1 Race: Driveshaft
2022 Historic Demo Run: Brake Failure pic.twitter.com/16RzJUoiOQ— WTF1 (@wtf1official) May 16, 2022
Speaking on the Track Limits podcast, Perrin explained, “I don’t think it’s only bad luck. I still think, for instance, he was making too [many] mistakes in races, especially. So, the pace on one lap was huge but once the car was behind, he was over pushing it.” That said, this is something Perrin is confident that the #16 driver can turn around.
Perrin presented the example of Fernando Alonso to cite the need for Leclerc to improve his composure to avoid costly mistakes. One such blunder took place at the 2022 French GP when Leclerc crashed out from the lead.
Change of approach at Ferrari will help Leclerc win
While it is clear that Leclerc needs to eliminate mistakes, Ferrari also needs to ensure that they provide the Monegasque with a strong car underneath him to win and correct other mistakes of their own. Ever since Fred Vasseur’s arrival at Ferrari, Leclerc is confident that the team can help develop a car that is capable of winning.
️| “Can Vasseur emulate Jean Todt?”
Charles Leclerc: “I don’t want to compare Fred with Jean Todt, nor me with Michael Schumacher, because it wouldn’t be correct.”
“But it is what we want to achieve with Fred.”
— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) May 3, 2023
“Fred has always been super good at putting the people in the best possible condition in order for them to perform at their best. So this is really where it changed, and it’s a change of approach,” said Leclerc when asked by Autosport about Vasseur’s impact on the team.
Ferrari have fallen out of contention for the title this year, after a series of miscalculations in terms of their development. But the arrival of Lewis Hamilton from 2025 onwards gives the team from Maranello the impetus to push towards redemption in 2026 and beyond.
