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Charles Leclerc Gives 4-Word Response as Innocent Fans Asks Hard Hitting Question

Published 10/13/2023, 10:08 AM EDT

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Charles Leclerc‘s ride with Ferrari has been no less than an enigma. The team in Red seemed to have lost their pace from 2022 and were struggling to perform when the 2023 season started. Rolling up to Bahrain, Ferrari was hopeful their reliability woes from last year would not arise in 2023. Guess what, the exact opposite happened to rain on the Scuderia’s hopes. This result set the tone for the first half of 2023. It has certainly not been a peaceful time for Charles Leclerc either, whose dream remains to win the title with the Scuderia & these wounds are getting rubbed badly now.

Ferrari‘s struggles ever since the Monegasque joined the team have been hard for them to shake off. It’s almost as if Murphy’s Law takes over the team’s fate whenever Charles is doing well. Anything that can go wrong does indeed go wrong. The Pinnacle of Motorsport pulls no punches, and perhaps the pairing of Leclerc & Ferrari has got the worst ones with being starved of wins for so long.

Innocent Fan gives Charles Leclerc a reality check

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Following Ferrari’s recent years, it comes as no surprise that fans and pundits are questioning if Leclerc can even win races with Ferrari, let alone the World Championship. While he was greeting the Tifosi, an adoring fan asked the Monegasque a simple but hard-hitting question. ‘Charles, can you win?’ – the young fan had just echoed the question every Tifosi wanted to know the answer to.

The innocence of the question made Leclerc chuckle as he replied, “I do my best! I’ll try, I’ll try”. And honestly, it could not be far from the truth. Charles Leclerc, throughout his career, has proven he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid. Although a bit more emotional than other drivers, Leclerc performs superbly given the right car and strategy.

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Since joining Ferrari in 2020, Leclerc has qualified on pole a whopping 20 times! But rarely had the fortune to convert it into a race win, winning only 5 races with the Maranello-based outfit till now. Even through this crisis, the No.16 driver has stuck with the team that can help him achieve his ultimate dream. Leclerc may ponder over the same question. But neither has Lady Luck nor Ferrari’s strategy favored the Monegasque lately, as the team is still struggling with multiple issues.

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Frederic Vasseur may still be Leclerc’s knight in shining armor, as the relationship between the two goes back to their time at Alfa Romeo. The replacement of Mattia Binotto with Vasseur has played a crucial role in maintaining Leclerc’s confidence in the Italian outfit. But for Ferrari to retain Leclerc, whose contract runs out in 2024, the Team in Red will need to make impressive changes and reduce the tendency for things to go wrong.

Will Leclerc fulfill his ultimate dream with Ferrari?

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The reason Leclerc believes in Ferrari and has persevered with them despite their poor performance goes beyond racing. Jules Bianchi, his godfather, followed a similar path in Formula 1. He was a promising junior Ferrari racer before passing away in 2014. Leclerc’s relationship with Ferrari is emotional and influenced by factors other than statistics. The Monegasque has long claimed that winning the World Championship with Ferrari is his ultimate goal. After all, this would fulfill not just his dream, but also Bianchi’s, which had been cut short by his death.

Few things are more prestigious in Formula 1 than winning the World Championship with Ferrari. The Scuderia has seven more world titles than any other constructor. It has, however, been in a championship drought in recent years. Ferrari appeared to be on the rise in the first half of 2022. However, operational errors and reliability issues proved fatal to their chances of winning the championship. With the majority of current Formula 1 seats having another driver’s name, Ferrari appears to be his best shot for the championship.

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WATCH THIS STORY | Charles Leclerc Extends 6-Year Monaco GP Curse by Wrecking Iconic Lauda Ferrari Chassis

In 2026, Audi-Sauber appears to pose a severe challenge. It will be critical to see if Ferrari can emerge as a title contender by then. Fred Vasseur seems optimistic about Ferrari’s future. They have picked up on development since Zandvoort, and Sainz’s win in Singapore spells good fortune for the team’s future. If McLaren and Aston Martin continue on their current paths, they might cause problems for Ferrari. The team in Red has also teased a completely new car for 2024. Which may be just what Charles Leclerc needs to fulfill the ultimate dream.

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Written by:

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed

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Kabir Bajaj Ahmed is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. As a child, it was the Top Gear Ayrton Senna tribute that drew him into the world of motorsports. While obtaining his Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, his passion for motorsport grew.
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Edited by:

Aishwary Gaonkar