Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo recently gave his take on how current driver Charles Leclerc compares with former world champions Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda. While Schumacher and Lauda have already established themselves as legends, Leclerc also has the potential to achieve similar feats.
The 25-year-old Monegasque has already established himself as one of the best drivers on the current grid with his outstanding performances week in and week out. However, despite his ability to produce results, Leclerc has not yet managed to pose a real challenge for the world championship.
The closest he came was last season when he finished second and lost the championship to Max Verstappen by a whopping 146 points. Despite winning two of the opening three races last year, Leclerc only managed to win one more race over the remainder of the campaign.
‘Going through a very delicate moment’: Montezemolo on Leclerc’s struggles
When asked on the La7 television network about who was better among Charles Leclerc, Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo answered by explaining the qualities of each driver individually. The former Ferrari chairman began by explaining how Lauda was one of his ‘most important friends’ despite the three-time world champion’s stint at rivals Mercedes.
When it came to Schumacher, Montezemolo did not need to speak much as he simply stated that the German won the most with the Prancing Horse. He then concluded his praises for Schumacher and Lauda by explaining the one thing they had in common.
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“He (Michael Schumacher) and Lauda had one thing in common: when you won, you won together. When you lost, you lost together”. Montezemolo believes that most drivers lack this important quality. According to him, most drivers blame the car when they lose and take credit themselves for when they win.
However, when it came to Leclerc, Montezemolo was all praises. The 75-year-old referred to the Monegasque driver as someone who is ‘very good’ and one that is not receiving the right kind of car to produce the results.
According to the former Ferrari chairman, Leclerc is ‘going through a very delicate moment in his career’ as he has still not had the opportunity to consistently fight for wins and podiums. Montezemolo believes that if the 25-year-old wants to achieve such consistent results, he needs a ‘competitive car’.
Charles Leclerc has a disastrous start to his 2023 season
After having an excellent 2022 season in which he finished second in the championship, the start to Charles Leclerc’s 2023 campaign has been exactly the opposite. The Monegasque driver currently finds himself tenth in the championship with just six points, 14 points behind his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc’s only points this season came at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he finished seventh. At both Bahrain and the Australian GP, the 25-year-old suffered a DNF. Leclerc failed to finish the Bahrain GP due to a power unit issue, while his race in Australia ended on the very first lap due to a collision with Lance Stroll.
