The 2023 Dutch GP somehow separated the grain from the chaff. With an ominous-looking sky, the 20 drivers embarked on the first lap of the Grand Prix on slick tires. Rain was on the forecast, but nobody expected it to be pelting down as they had barely reached the final banked corner! That’s when the teams, their strategists, and the drivers were all put to the test. In the driving department though, two stood out as outliers. The homeboy, Max Verstappen, and his arch nemesis, Lewis Hamilton. But there was a time when Charles Leclerc used to top such lists on the regular.

In 2023, however, Charles Leclerc has had a nightmare of a season. Plagued with reliability issues, team errors, his own mistakes, and what not, the Monegasque seems to have lost his golden touch when it comes to driving Formula 1 cars.

Ex-Ferrari boss confirms Leclerc’s deficit

Leclerc used to be once slotted into the category of Max Verstappen and the likes. But with how his season has gone so far in 2023, it would be a pretty far-fetched idea to put him alongside the true performers this season.

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According to ex-Ferrari team manager, Peter Windsor, there is a peculiar problem that’s actually been troubling the Monacan racing ace. He explained on his YouTube channel, “Even though it may not look like he’s [Max Verstappen] got shorter corners in the wet, what you’re seeing is a sublime touch. Lewis [Hamilton] has it as well.”

“Charles [Leclerc] used to have it when he was driving a decent car! I don’t know he has kinda given up, hasn’t he?”  

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Leclerc fell back after the first lap pit-stop gaffe, seemingly lost a massive amount of pace, and then eventually retired. What’s more? The cause for his miserable afternoon was actually he himself!

Charles Leclerc reveals the reason behind nightmarish Dutch GP

Leclerc’s ruined race began on the very first lap when he made contact with F1 rookie, Oscar Piastri. But at the time, it didn’t look menacing at all, neither to the team nor to the fans watching back at home. Then what went wrong?

As it turns out, his own front wing caused a massive dent in his floor. After the race, Leclerc explained, “I think initially it was five to 10 points [of downforce we were missing] but then we realised that it was more than 60. That is a different category, so after that first lap, it was all uphill.”

“We were just waiting for some rain. You can do something different than the other and maybe get one or two points. Every point counts so we didn’t want to give up too early. It was such a slight touch, but for some reason, it had huge consequences for my car.”

WATCH THIS STORY | How Long Will Charles Leclerc Wait for Ferrari–Will He Leave for Some Other Team Post-2024? 

Do you think Leclerc can salvage the remainder of the season with a win at Monza this weekend?