Charles Leclerc was asked in an interview about Michael Schumacher’s five-year wait before he secured his first title with Ferrari. The Monegasque was asked if he took it as a yardstick to be patient with the Scuderia. Leclerc gladly agreed, saying he holds full faith in his team and aims to win a championship with them.
After all, Schumacher and Ferrari dominated F1 with five straight title-winning campaigns between 2000 and 2004. The German race driver’s achievement arguably termed him the F1 GOAT, allowing Ferrari to be the most successful constructor.
Schumi secured the Italian team’s first driver’s title since 1979, ending a 21-year wait. Leclerc hopes to repeat the same feat to end Ferrari’s 17-year-long championship drought.
Charles Leclerc remains loyal to Ferrari despite title setback
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Charles Leclerc spoke about his championship hopes. The 5-time GP winning driver openly declared his loyalty to Ferrari and claimed his focus is only on winning races this year.
The driver said, “Of course, I believe it. I believe it. I’m very close to Fred, I know his medium and long-term plan and I support it. It’s hard to say how long it will take because things can change very quickly, as happened to us between 2022 and 2023.”
Leclerc added, “It could happen next year or in two years, it also depends on the progress that the rivals make, in any case, I am very confident. I will continue to believe in it, even if it will take some time. But I want to win with Ferrari, in red, and I hope it happens as soon as possible.”
However, unlike 1996, Ferrari seems to have suffered a dip since the 2022 season. The team lost the title to Max Verstappen and Red Bull due to reliability issues and poor strategy. They are yet to win a single race in 2023 after their inability to develop a title-winning car. Ferrari needs much more work to do before reaching their Schumacher-era level of excellence and success.
Michael Schumacher never had the same love for Ferrari as Leclerc
Charles Leclerc has often shown his love for Ferrari. However, unlike Leclerc, Michael Schumacher never had the same connection with the Italian team with whom he enjoyed unprecedented success.
After his two title wins with Benetton, the German wanted to move to a British outfit, Williams. The Grove-based team was a much more successful team at the time, with a fast car that won the 1993 title with Alain Prost.
Schumi had talks with Sir Frank Williams, who offered $10 Million to the German. However, Ferrari hijacked the offer with almost double the pay and more flexibility in holding personal sponsors.
FIVE DAYS TO LIGHTS OUT 🚦
Michael Schumacher took a record five consecutive World Championships for @ScuderiaFerrari between 2000-04, clinching the final one in Belgium 💪#F1 #F1FastFact pic.twitter.com/MVoFcjnQ3x
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 20, 2018
Williams had paid over $10 Million only to Prost in 1993 and Ayrton Senna in 1994. Unlike Schumi, Leclerc is not motivated by financial incentives. The Monegasque is motivated to be a world champion with his boyhood team. However, only time will tell if the driver will achieve his dream with Ferrari or someone else.
