Charles Leclerc has ‘no idea’ of Ferrari’s edge over Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton | F1 | Sport
Charles Leclerc has made a superb start to the season after he recorded first and second-place finishes in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix respectively. But the Monegasque star has played down his chances of winning the Drivers’ Championship title after he admitted he ‘has no idea’ whether his current performances will be enough to take home the accolade.
Leclerc has started the season in superb fashion given Ferrari’s adaptation to the new regulations that were enforced at the start of the campaign. His team-mate Carlos Sainz has helped the Prancing Horse secure two podium finishes in each race.
Leclerc has been touted to win the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in his career despite competition from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. But the Monaco-born hero has refused to be drawn into admitting he is in the hunt, claiming it is ‘still very early in the season’.
“I feel good in general, but there’s definitely more to come,” Leclerc said. “The thing I’m happy about is not really the performance but that I know exactly where I still need to work, and what I need to improve to unlock more performance.
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“Whether it will be enough or not to win the World Championship, I have no idea. It’s still very early on in the season, but let’s say that it’s a very good start to the season. As I said many times, I think development will be key, and we as drivers need to help the team in the best way possible to keep this competitiveness.”
Leclerc began racing for Alfa Romeo in 2018, producing a respectable 13th-placed finish in his first season. He joined Ferrari the following season and won two Grands Prix in his debut campaign at the Prancing Horse.
However, he failed to do so again until March’s season opener in Bahrain, ending a two-and-a-half-year duck. But despite his former endeavours, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has backed the star to win the title.
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“I think he is [ready to fight for the championship],” Binotto said. “But [it’s] something I was expecting when renewing with him in the last year, up to 2024, because we know what he is capable of, and I think that is simply demonstrating that he’s capable of fighting for the championship.
“No doubt, he’s got the talent, he’s got the capacity, he is a very good racer and I am very happy with what he is proving during these two races.”
Leclerc’s next race comes in the Australian Grand Prix on April 10. And the 24-year-old will look to better the fifth-placed finish he last achieved in Melbourne back in 2019.
