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In a Forgettable 2023 Start, Charles Leclerc’s No.1 Spot Not a Point of Contention as Former Ferrari Legend Points at the Real Weakness

Published 04/19/2023, 9:46 AM EDT

A lot is happening at Ferrari at this moment. But it’s not all good, though. The Scuderia has been on a 15+ year-long draught and the way things are shaping up in the 2023 season, it doesn’t appear to be the year when it finally comes good for the team from Maranello. But hidden behind the reality of lack of success lies hope for the Tifosi in the shape of their star driver, Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc was the future, hence, he signed a 5-year deal in 2019. But then came along Spaniard, Carlos Sainz, and he’s arguably giving Leclerc a run for his money. At one time, the entire discussion about Ferrari’s woes was surrounded by Leclerc being given free rein. However, in light of institutional problems within the Scuderia’s camp and Sainz’s arrival, has the spotlight shifted away from the Monegasque?

Charles Leclerc is no longer Ferrari’s first priority

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The 25-year-old Monacan racing ace is arguably Ferrari’s legitimate title runner. However, right now, as of 2023, is Leclerc’s welfare the Scuderia’s first priority? Even though it’s all hushed up currently at Ferrari’s headquarters, an old ally may have an insightful answer to this question.

On Eurosport’s podcast, former Ferrari driver, Jean Alesi said, “Yes but that’s not the problem, the problem at Ferrari is performance and reliability, so frankly that’s not the point,” when asked “Should we name Charles Leclerc driver number 1 and put everything on him to achieve the goal?”

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Leclerc’s been given a lot of support from behind the scenes. That being said, is Leclerc really loyal to Ferrari anymore?

Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari future unknown

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A few years ago, Leclerc was all about winning the title with Ferrari and how special the feat would be. However, now, with the plethora of gremlins haunting the team as evidenced by last year and this season, the Monegasque has been whistling a new tune.

He told Sky Sports F1, “I love the red colour. I love Ferrari. I’m very happy here. But we’ll see what the future holds. Obviously it’s very early to speak about this, my contract ends in ’24. But I’ll know once there are some talks starting.”

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Watch this later: Helmut Marko blasts Lewis Hamilton for a role in Michael Masi’s sacking

Will Charles Leclerc be able to get his hands on the coveted WDC trophy at Ferrari?

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Written by:

Anirban Aly Mandal is a senior F1 writer at EssentiallySports, with over 500 articles published on the platform. Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 while playing on his computer, and he has since then dived deep into the world of motorsports. Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports.

Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai

In a Forgettable 2023 Start, Charles Leclerc’s No.1 Spot Not a Point of Contention as Former Ferrari Legend Points at the Real Weakness

Charles Leclerc is no longer Ferrari’s first priority

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Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari future unknown