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“We Don’t Have a Car to Win”: Despite Fred Vasseur’s Warning, Charles Leclerc Throws in the Towel Before Mexican GP

Published 10/29/2023, 1:11 PM EDT

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One would think that with 22 poles in F1, at just the age of 26, Charles Leclerc would be quite confident heading into the Mexican GP race. However, with frustrations looming, and Ferrari, well still doing Ferrari things! Leclerc might be approaching the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with low expectations. Despite the team principal’s strict warning.

To everyone’s surprise, Ferrari ended up finishing the Q3 session of the Mexican Grand Prix with a front-row lockout, as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished top 2. But despite that, Leclerc seems to have already lost faith in achieving his first win of 2023. With the Monegasque driver losing faith, and Ferrari team principal already having given a strict warning to their drivers. It remains to be seen how Ferrari’s weekend will go like.

With Ferrari’s abysmal strategies, does a Charles Leclerc pole even matter?

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Ferrari has continued the tradition of being the b*tt-of-the-joke well into 2023. Considering the stature of the team, one would consider them to be much better. However, their recent race strategies have been abysmal and borderline non-sensible. That raises the question of whether a Charles Leclerc pole even matters at this point. The #16 driver himself seems to have no faith in his team’s strategies.

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In recent seasons, Leclerc has gathered a reputation for being a good qualifying driver. With him earning 22 poles so far, it’s quite clear that he is a driver who is fast around a track. However, when it comes to the main race, things are different.

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Leclerc recently shared his thoughts on why his qualifying record has recently become a joke of a stat! He added, “I always do the job during qualifying, but it always ends up being a bad statistic, because we don’t have a car to win the race on Sunday. I hope soon I will have the car to change these statistics.”

His comment not only tells us about the situation at Ferrari but also gives us a glimpse of Leclerc’s current mentality. It’s quite obvious that Leclerc has lost faith in the team, thanks to their “brilliant” strategies! Even with back-to-back pole finishes, the Ferrari driver is already admitting that they do not have a car to win.

Frederic Vasseur might not be happy hearing this, despite his warning to Leclerc and Sainz. But unfortunately for him, the team is the only one to be blamed here. So far, Charles Leclerc has showcased his brilliant pace at multiple qualifying sessions, and Carlos Sainz has shown his incredible consistency with multiple good results. However, to be consistent at winning races and challenging for the titles, Ferrari needs to do a better job!

Can Ferrari finally deliver at the Mexican Grand Prix?

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After a disastrous strategy for Charles Leclerc at the US GP, Ferrari has got to get their heads together! The Mexican Grand Prix is not only a golden opportunity for them to defend their lead from the in-form McLaren. But also overtake Mercedes in the constructor’s championship, who sit at the #2 position. Doing so would not only ruin Toto Wolff’s weekend but also help the Tifosi be relieved of pressure.

via Imago

Moreover, a 1-2 finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez would also provide some much-needed morale boost at Ferrari. Perhaps Leclerc might start believing again in his team. And with three races remaining after the Mexican GP, who knows what could happen?

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Despite Frederic Vasseur’s warning to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, Leclerc seems to have already thrown in the towel. As his qualifying stat has become somewhat of a meme, it remains to be seen if he can turn the tides around at the Mexican GP. Moreover, with Ferrari having the chance to overtake Mercedes in the constructor’s championship, can they finally deliver?

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Written by:

Adhiraj Dhyani

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Adhiraj Dhyani is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. He kick-started his online writing journey on Drivetribe, where he passionately covered F1 and automobile content. Adhiraj's love for Formula 1 dates back to 2015, and he's an ardent supporter of Sebastian Vettel as well as Lewis Hamilton.
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Edited by:

Aishwary Gaonkar