Charles Leclerc returned from the F1 summer break with an ambition to chip away the 80-point deficit he faces to his rival, Max Verstappen. However, the title ambitions of the Ferrari ace turn sour, as, in the aftermath of the Belgium GP, it is not only the Red Bull protege that he trails in the world championship but also his teammate, Sergio Perez.

Round 14 of the championship was a crucial race for the Monegasque, as he required a strong result to pick up the momentum in the second half of the championship. Notably, Leclerc stood face to face with the fact that he requires to clinch the top step of the podium in the 9 races remaining.

From the get-go at Spa, the shortcomings of the F1-75 put him on the back foot and an engine penalty did not help his cause. Nevertheless, he had a fair shot racing against his championship rival; with Verstappen also sustaining an engine penalty and lining next to him on race day.

But the defending world champion was in a league of his own in his birth town and crushed Leclerc’s ambitions to inch closer to him in the standing. Following the race team boss, Mattia Binotto commented on the emotions faced by his star driver.

“Today, Charles is down [in terms of mood] because he sees a standing which is more difficult for him. If before Spa he knew that he could count only on his wins to close the gap [to Max], from today it’s not enough anymore.”

“Now Charles needs that sometimes Max doesn’t finish the race and for a driver, when you can’t count only on yourself but on what others do, it’s always disheartening,” Binotto explained.

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In the dying stages of the Belgium GP, Leclerc found himself P5 on the road with the opportunity of being on the podium looking like a long shot. Thus, car number 16 pitted for fresh rubber to snatch away a point for the fastest lap from car number 1.

Unfortunately, for Leclerc, all his efforts went down the drain as he received a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane during his last pit stop. As a result, the Ferrari golden boy finished in P6, behind Fernando Alonso, and an attempt to score one more point ended up costing him 2 points.

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After the conclusion of the Grand Prix, in a media interview, he summarized his outlook toward claiming a world title this season.

He said, “It starts to look very difficult, especially with the pace [Red Bull] have shown this weekend. But I will get my head down, try to focus race by race, and give it my best,” Leclerc added.

“Again, it starts to look very difficult [in terms of still being in the championship fight], but I will try my best.”

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As things stand, a deficit of 98 points separates Charles Leclerc from Max Verstappen, and the woes pile up for the Monegasque as he walks into the home race weekend of the Dutch lion up next.

Do you think the title ambitions are over for Charles Leclerc?