As Formula 1 heads towards uncharted territories with the Las Vegas GP coming up, teams are skeptical of their chances of putting up a strong performance. However, as per a recent report by F1Maximaal, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes that the Maranello outfit can come away from Sin City with a good result due to a particular skillset possessed by their drivers.
According to Vasseur, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are extremely adept at racing on street circuits. He said, “Charles is always very fast on these types of circuits where the walls are close and Carlos showed in Singapore that he is no less adept in this area.”
Oh Ferrari you looking SEXY for Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/wKcHPqdBwC
— Matt Gallagher (@MattP1Gallagher) November 9, 2023
The French manager claimed that a good result is possible for Ferrari, especially with the preparations that have been made ahead of the race. Vasseur explained that a lot of hours have gone into the simulator, to make sure that the drivers are completely ready to face the unknown track.
Vasseur also claimed that the simulator work has helped them come up with plans about the various unknown factors. This might be a major advantage that Ferrari holds over any other team heading to the Las Vegas GP.
Charles Leclerc can be quite doubtful at street circuits
While Vasseur did claim that Charles Leclerc is good at handling Street circuits, stats claim otherwise. None of the five race wins that Leclerc has to his name, came at a conventional street circuit. The closest he got was the 2022 Australian GP win, but with the huge run-off areas, the Albert Park circuit is more of a hybrid street circuit.
On the contrary, the most memorable moments that Leclerc has produced at street circuits are unfortunately those of crashes. This includes the famous crash he had at the 2021 Monaco GP during Qualifying. While he did manage to claim pole position, the damage to his car caused by the crash meant that Leclerc could not start the race on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton struggles as Charles Leclerc takes Monaco pole – despite big crashhttps://t.co/UW0hySXAJW pic.twitter.com/C0VL0xW8PL
— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) May 22, 2021
He also had an infamous crash at the Baku Street Circuit during the 2019 Azerbaijan GP. The Monegasque binned it at the Castle section during an out lap following which he said his famous lines, “I am stupid!”
“I am stupid” 😵
Charles Leclerc’s infamous three words were spoken at the 2019 #AzerbaijanGP 😅 pic.twitter.com/lZyPWEzSyX
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 6, 2022
Carlos Sainz’s recent win at the Singapore GP will surely give Ferrari the boost they would need to end the 2023 season on a high. However, Leclerc has a tendency to push beyond the limit, which often leads to crashes, and with street circuits having no room for errors, it is to be seen if the Ferrari starboy can put on a show on Saturday in Las Vegas
