Charles Leclerc had a strange 2023 season. During the first part of the campaign, he struggled massively with the car. However, following a small upgrade that came in Japan, he seemed “much more at ease” with the handling of the SF-23.
While reflecting on his campaign, Leclerc explained how he has had “two parts” in the 2023 season, one pre-Japan and another post-Japan. He then added (as quoted by The Race), “I feel much more at ease with the car since Japan. We’ve worked on the consistency of the car in different conditions which helped a lot with my driving style“.
The Monegasque then further explained that he prefers having an “oversteery car and a strong front“. Leclerc revealed that since it was not possible to have such a setup in the first part of the 2023 season, he struggled massively.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur referred to the upgrade post-Japan as just a “small” one. The Frenchman revealed that even though the team did not change the car much, it did help Leclerc massively.
After revealing both Leclerc and Vasseur’s comments, The Race explains how the Monegasque’s performances improved significantly following the Japanese GP. Before the race in Suzuka, Leclerc averaged 10.2 points per start. However, post the race in Japan, his average points per start increased to 13.5 (excluding Brazil, including pre-DSQ Austin result).
A similar trend was also seen in both his average grid and finishing position. Before the race in Japan, the 26-year-old had an average grid position of 6.3 and a finishing position of 5.6.
However, following the Japanese GP, he was able to increase his average grid position to 2.3 and finishing position to 3.2. Leclerc will now hope to carry forward his momentum from the second part of the 2023 season into 2024.
Can Ferrari give Charles Leclerc a car capable of winning in 2024?
After registering a few victories in the 2022 season, Charles Leclerc failed to win a single race this year. The Monegasque failed to do so primarily because Ferrari was unable to produce a car that could fight Red Bull for wins.
The Prancing Horse’s struggles were evident as they even failed to finish P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. However, the same could be a blessing in disguise for them. The team will receive additional development time for next year, relative to champions Red Bull and second-placed Mercedes.
Consequently, the Italian team will have an opportunity to produce a better car than their rivals in 2024. However, the additional development time may not be enough to catch up to Red Bull. The Milton Keynes outfit was in a league of their own in 2023, winning 21 out of the 22 races.
