Ferrari vs. Red Bull. Ferrari vs. Ferrari. Charles Leclerc vs. Max Verstappen. These are some of the current ongoing battles on the F1 grid. Charles Leclerc, after leading the championship last season, has gone on to become an underdog this year. Attempting to fight valiantly against the mighty Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, the Monegasque is pushing his SF-23 to the limit. And in that attempt, he is losing his grip on the front of the grid, as we saw repeatedly in Miami.

Leclerc is fighting an uphill battle, which is forcing him to punch above his weight. This has also come under scrutiny, as in an attempt to push beyond the limits, the driver costs the team an attempt at a better starting position. However, he was also hailed as he got Ferrari its first podium of the season after pushing briefly in Azerbaijan. So, despite the failures in Miami, the driver has the team’s confidence, which says it will not ask him to drive carefully.

The team’s chief racing engineer, Jock Clear, as quoted by Turkish Motorsport, says, “This reflects to some extent his psychological state because he has to fight Red Bull pilots, a faster vehicle. Although he tries to show his value as a driver, the laws of physics are dominant.”

“But we won’t say to him, ‘Look, Charles, you should be a little calmer.’ He achieved outstanding results in the ranking rounds throughout the season. This allowed many races, especially Baku, to start from very good positions,” he added, expressing unwavering confidence in the driver.

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Having sorted this out, Clear and Leclerc now have a bigger task at hand. Left to make a choice between sacrificing a better qualifying day for a better Sunday and letting things be as they are, the dilemma is strong in the stable.

Jock Clear explains Charles Leclerc’s struggles in Miami

Charles Leclerc crashed twice before the main race in Miami. Once during the second free practice and then again in qualifying. The qualifying crash had cost him heavily, as he was forced to start P7 on Sunday. Many believed that he was pushing too hard, and the team believed that as well.

Speaking about the crash and what caused it, Clear said, “When you attack the kerb with a ground-impact car, you can momentarily suffer a significant loss of downforce. Charles went over the kerb at Turn 6 and it was difficult to control the car while doing that,” admitting that Leclerc was more aggressive than he needed to be.

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Despite all this unfolding, Ferrari has strong faith in the driver, and vice versa. For them, the incoming upgrades could prove crucial as they look to cut the gap with Aston Martin.