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“That’s Not Luck”: After Taking the Blame for Charles Leclerc’s Misery, Ferrari Boss Shifts the Goalpost Yet Again

Published 07/25/2023, 3:25 PM EDT

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via Imago

The 2023 season is going from bad to worse for Ferrari as things stand. After the deflated promise of 2022, the arrival of Frederic Vasseur from Alfa Romeo felt like a start of a new dawn for the team. They already had a fast car, they just needed to get their heads straight. Now, in 2023, the team neither has a fast enough car nor the mistakes that plagued them going away. That being said, can they be blamed for their subpar results in Budapest?

At the Hungarian GP, the two Ferraris finished 7th and 8th. For a team with such high resources, a rich legacy, and absolutely no excuse to be that far down the order, the Scuderia has really taken a massive step back in 2023. While Hungary was a bitter pill to swallow for the team, they did let their star man Charles Leclerc down big time.

Vasseur admits Leclerc’s mistake

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The Monegasque had a nightmarish pitstop that sent his strategy awry. As a result, the 25-year-old was left stranded for the entire race and could only muster himself back up to 7th. The pressure of the occasion seems to have caught up with the team from Maranello.

via Imago

And on the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, host, Tom Clarkson tried to cut Vasseur some slack by attributing it all to some bad luck. But the Frenchman retorted back, “No, nothing to do with luck. We made mistakes. That’s not luck.”

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But then the question beckons; what is Ferrari going to do about it? While as valiant as Vasseur’s admission was, his answer to this question will not please the Tifosi. He said, “You need to have a deep analysis of what you did and tackle any issue. But that takes time.”

Frederic Vasseur’s Faulty Management Comes Under Fire as Carlos Sainz Backtracks on His Looking “Like a Fool” Allegations to Play ‘Team Game’

While Vasseur has requested more time, does Leclerc have the patience?

Leclerc hits out after frustrating Ferrari outing

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The Tifosi would obviously be down in the dumps after the Hungarian GP. But let us also spare a thought for poor Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque has been driving his heart out for the team, and every time Ferrari makes a mistake, they thrust him back into the media’s spotlight.

via Reuters

This has arguably irked the young Monacan. After the race, Motorsport.com quoted him as saying, “Honestly, it’s frustrating overall, because I felt that with the pace we had today, even as a driver, when you are feeling like you’re doing a good job with a car you have, nobody really notices it. And whenever you are doing a bad job, everybody notices it. So it’s difficult.”

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WATCH THIS STORY | What has become an Incessant Problem for Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz in Ferrari’s F1 Challenger? 

Can Leclerc and Ferrari salvage their season?

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Written by:

Anirban Aly Mandal

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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.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai