Many believed that Charles Leclerc would be the future of F1 after he delivered some outstanding performances in the lower Formula categories. However, the Monegasque seems to have failed to live up to that hype. The Ferrari driver has had limited success, and in stark contrast, his childhood rival, Max Verstappen, is already a double world champion.
Looking at Leclerc’s slump, Tom Clarkson explained on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast about how the 25-year-old has been unable to live up to the hype that was expected of him.
Leclerc has often succumbed to pressure and has been prone to making mistakes. While Ferrari have played their part as well in hurting the Monegasque register strong results from time to time, the former Sauber driver also has hurt his chances on various occasions. Hence, Clarkson believes that Leclerc needs to rediscover his form back.
Tom Clarkson believes Charles Leclerc is unable to assert himself
While speaking on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson began his remarks by explaining how he believes that Carlos Sainz is currently on a roll at Ferrari. The F1 expert then went on to analyze how Charles Leclerc is coming under increasing pressure as a result of the difficulties that the Monegasque has had in comparison to the Spaniard.
“Charles needs to reassert himself in that team. For so long, we have often thought of Charles as the same breath as Max, the same breath as Lando Norris, the same breath as Lewis Hamilton. I feel that his head has dropped in recent races“, explained Clarkson.
Clarkson then concluded by adding that he wants Leclerc to get his “mojo” back from the previous seasons. However, the question that arises is whether the Monegasque’s poor form this season has been entirely his fault.
Is Leclerc’s poor form entirely his fault?
Ferrari have suffered a massive slump in performance this season as compared to last year. Last season, the Prancing Horse finished second in the Constructors’ Championship, only behind champions Red Bull. However, this season, Ferrari has fallen to third, behind second-placed Mercedes.
Most of Ferrari and Charles Leclerc’s poor form this season has been a result of the team’s failure to produce a quick enough car. On most race weekends, not only has Leclerc failed to register a strong qualifying result, but so has Carlos Sainz. Moreover, with Ferrari not having the race pace either, overtaking has often proved to be difficult for them.
Consequently, both Leclerc and Sainz have had some strong performances but then have struggled on most other occasions. However, many still believe that if the Italian outfit is able to produce a quick enough car, then Leclerc can still manage to win a title.
