Charles Leclerc raised expectations after a phenomenal outing in Baku last weekend. However, the Miami GP weekend is turning out to be a disaster for him. The Monegasque struggled for grip during the Free Practice sessions and crashed into the barriers. He once again did that during the qualifying on Saturday, resulting in him finishing in P7. Team boss Frederic Vasseur is not too bothered, however. As he defended his star driver’s mistakes recently, the Tifosi hailed him for keeping a level head.

Leclerc found his mojo in Azerbaijan as he, against all odds, secured the pole position in both qualifying sessions. While he lacked pace during the Sprint and the Main Race, he managed to extract podium finishes for the first time in the season for the team. However, he failed to carry that form in Miami and now, he has a herculean task cut out for him for the race later today.

Fans love it as Frederic Vasseur backs Charles Leclerc

Leclerc’s crash in Q3 resulted in the session being red-flagged with just 1 minute and 36 seconds left on the clock. Resultantly, the Stewards called off the rest of the session, sealing the incumbent positions. That put the Monegasque in P7 and Max Verstappen, who hadn’t set a timing, in P9. Sergio Perez’s provisional pole saw him become the eventual pole sitter.

Defending him for pushing too hard while speaking with the media post-qualifying, Fred said, “When you’re fighting for pole, the driver has to push. You can’t accuse him of pushing ‘too much’. That’s how he makes the difference, sometimes the mistake just happens, but I’d rather have him pushing than not.”

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Take a look at how fans on Twitter reacted to Vasseur’s comments.

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Before Fred’s arrival, Leclerc did not share the most cordial relationship with former Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto. We often heard rumors about a rift between the two. Some fans were glad that wasn’t the case anymore.

Another fan lauded Fred for backing his driver despite him making a heavy mistake.

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How much progress up the grid do you think Charles can make in the main race? A podium finish looks like an uphill task this time around.