“I Was a Bit Too Impatient” – Charles Leclerc Reflects on His First Year With Ferrari

Charles Leclerc had an amazing year with Ferrari last season. The Monegasque had a dream debut for the Scuderia and showed the world that Ferrari had made the right call in signing him. Leclerc’s first season with Ferrari had plenty of highs but also a few lows. The 22-year-old reflected on his first year with Ferrari and revealed his learnings and weaknesses.

Charles Leclerc looks back on Ferrari debut

Perhaps the best highlight of 2019 was Leclerc’s phenomenal win at Monza. The Monegasque held his nerve in a thrilling race to clinch Ferrari’s first win at home in 9 years. That day was a turning point in Leclerc’s career and his influence over the team. However, despite picking up 2 victories, Leclerc showed the world his Achilles heel at times.

At his home Grand Prix in Monti Carlo, Charles made a string of errors during the race. Leclerc was on the backfoot after a disastrous qualifying session and needed a solid drive to bring home some points.

Unfortunately, Leclerc failed to keep a cool head when he needed it the most. The Monegasque spoiled his chances at a good result with an avoidable collision – resulting in a puncture. In a hurry to rejoin the action, Charles rushed back to the pits, further damaging his SF90, well beyond repair.

A little patience would’ve gone a long way that day. Replying to fans messages, Charles Leclerc revealed the most important lesson he learnt from his first year with Ferrari.

“I think patience”

“Patience is something that is very important and I’ve struggled to have that in the past but I learnt with Ferrari that I need to have [patience]”

“Sometimes you need a little bit of patience to learn from the best”

“Things take time to settle and so, Yeah, you need to wait a little bit at times”

“I was a bit too impatient before,” said Leclerc, replying to Ferrari’s Q&A

Leclerc also reminisced on his early memories with Ferrari and described the feeling of joy when he was accepted to the team’s driver academy.

We won’t see the Monegasque on track anytime soon but he will be teaming up with his brother in Sunday’s Virtual Grand Prix.