By Joe Murphy
It was all looking so promising for young Charles Leclerc following the first few races of the season. He was leading the Driver’s Standings by a healthy margin and his team simultaneously led the way in the Constructors Championship. However, before even June had arrived, Ferrari and their man found themselves in second behind Red Bull and Max Verstappen respectively.
Now, there is every chance that the Monaco-born driver proves this article wrong within the year. But there is a genuine chance he never becomes a World Champion in Formula 1. Let’s discuss some reasons…
Max Verstappen
Probably the main obstacle for a number of reasons, especially in the short term. The Dutchman seems to have the bit between his teeth in his pursuit of a second consecutive World Title. Ferrari may be considered quicker yet, despite Red Bull’s unreliability, they have fallen behind the team in dark blue. Whereas drivers such as Lewis Hamilton could pose a threat to Leclerc over the coming year or two (and yes we’ll get to Mercedes), Max Verstappen isn’t going anywhere, probably during the entire course of Charles’ career. They are the same age of 24 and the experience Max has built up in running against Lewis Hamilton could prove to be invaluable in the future. He knows what it takes to become a World Champion, regardless of how it was won. The same cannot yet be said for Charlie.
The Talented Generation
Charles Leclerc is a superb driver, who demonstrates mastery beyond his years on a regular basis. The curse for Charles is that he is coming through at a time when many others can say the same. Over recent seasons, we have seen the emergence of George Russell, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon as well as the aforementioned Verstappen. Others such as Estaban Ocon and Carlos Sainz seem to have been around for ages, but are still only in their mid-twenties (25 and 27 respectively). In short, we as fans are blessed at this emergence of young talent and with them all having at least a decade in the sport left to run, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, as talented as Charles Leclerc is, if McLaren were to get their act together or Red Bull continue to out-perform Ferrari, then the competition he would face could be as tough as the sport has ever seen. There is also a silver pain in the proverbial.
Is it still the Era of Mercedes?
They may be third currently, but don’t let that fool you, Mercedes are still very much a force to be reckoned with in F1. Once they sort the issues of the current car out, they will be as fast as anyone. As previously alluded to, George Russell in the Silver Arrow will prove stellar competition for the likes of Leclerc in the years to come, as will whoever races alongside him. It could be Ocon, De Vries, Norris or someone else. The Constructor has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last decade, and they are not simply going to disappear overnight.
Being a Ferrari-lifer could be the main issue
If I could be any other person, I would choose Charles Leclerc. He is from Monaco and still lives in the Principality. He is also a handsome chap who just so happens to race for the prestigious Ferrari in motorsport’s Utopia. Therefore, the man is living the dream, why would he want to change?
Well, the biggest issue to Charles Leclerc’s future success is just this kind of thinking. F1 legend Mika Hakkinen recently questioned the mentality of the Italian Constructor after strategical errors led to the team throwing away a sure-fire win in Monaco. He argued that Red Bull appeared to have the ‘confidence’ to make the right decisions at the right time, whereas the Red Team ‘hesitated’. Hakkinen said the errors were down to decision-making ‘people’ in the team and stressed that Red Bull could seemingly handle situations better ‘under pressure’. Make no bones about it, this could cost Leclerc any chance at a future World Title. Ferrari may be the sport’s most successful team historically, but they haven’t quite been the same since 2006 where their era of domination ended without ever really starting again. Kimi Raikkonen may have won a title, but that was more down to the mentality at McLaren at the time. If Leclerc is going to win the big one, the team is going to have to get this problem sorted or the 24-year-old is going to have to leave the team. Then you have the issues of where he would go. As Pierre Gasly is currently finding out, there is a shortage of seats at the top end of the F1 grid.
Charles is probably best where he is, certainly for the time being. But if he is going to win a World Championship, his team will need to be on their “A” game.
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