“One [criticism] that touches me more than others is arrogance”- Charles Leclerc on unwarranted criticism on him

“One [criticism] that touches me more than others is arrogance”- Charles Leclerc on unwarranted criticism to him since making F1 breakthrough.

In just a couple of years in Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has managed to raise himself to prominence. Still, with glamour and stardom, he has also received criticism, some positive and unnecessary as Leclerc claimed.

Monaco born driver has expressed that among all the negative statements he has received, the one that hurt him the most is that he became arrogant, which according to him, is not true.

“One [criticism] that touches me more than others is arrogance because I know very well that I haven’t changed,” Leclerc told Sky Italia, as per the Inside Racing.

“The further I go in my career, the more I see that people want to be my friend, certainly not because they like me as a person but because I am a Ferrari driver.

“So I close myself a little, but that’s not arrogance, I haven’t changed from that point of view. Both my father and Jules [Bianchi] always told me to keep my feet on the ground,” he added.

“Everything in my career has gone pretty fast and in the right direction, but I’ve always kept that advice in mind. That’s why the word [arrogance] bothers me more than the others.”

Only aim for glory

Leclerc in past two seasons with Ferrari has shown his flair for the attack, and despite Ferrari in 2020 not being up to the mark, he managed to win two podiums.

“Every time I’m on the grid I think about victory, even when I know it is difficult when it is impossible, and I know we need a bit of luck,” he said of his approach. We have to believe it when we are in the car. I believe it, and I believe it every time I get in the car, even in a season like the one just gone.”

“For myself, I think it’s my best season personally in F1. What I’ve shown on the track, I’m thrilled with my season,” he told Italy’s Il Giornale.

“It was a challenging year because the car didn’t have the performance we hoped for, but I was much more consistent, and more often, I was able to give 100 per cent.

“The aggressiveness that cost me the podium in Turkey and led me to the accident in the second race in Bahrain is also what allowed me during the season to get results and score many points when we really didn’t expect it.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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