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SPA, BELGIUM: Pole position qualifier Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Will Taylor-Medhurst/Getty Images)
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SPA, BELGIUM: Pole position qualifier Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Will Taylor-Medhurst/Getty Images)
Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc finished the 2020 season in P8 of the standings. It wasn’t the best season for the Monegasque on the paper as Ferrari suffered because of a castrated engine. However, he considers it to be his best year yet in terms of personal performance.
Leclerc outscored his former teammate by 65 points as Sebastian Vettel only scored 33 points driving the underpowered SF1000. In the hopes of mounting a strong challenge in the future, the Monegasque extended his contract with the Maranello team till 2023.
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Leclerc will drive alongside Carlos Sainz next season as the Spaniard comes in from McLaren. The youngsters are looking forward to working with the team and helping Ferrari get back to their winning days.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc was seen amid an interesting ‘strength training session’ during the winter break.
Binotto says Charles Leclerc is not Ferrari’s No.1 driver
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s Team Principal, clarified that there is nothing in Leclerc’s contract that warrants Leclerc as the leader. Sebastian Vettel had come out stating that he feels like being treated as the secondary driver in Ferrari.
With a new drivers’ lineup, Ferrari is conscious of maintaining a balance between their drivers. “It’s important to have two drivers which are delivering or doing very well in the race in order to do as many points as we can for the constructors’ title.
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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – AUGUST 02: Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari prepares to drive in the garage before practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 02, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
“I know that by doing well in the constructors it means that the two drivers are doing well in terms of drivers classification. I’m hoping and I’m pretty sure that Carlos will help us in doing better in terms of constructors and overall as a team,” pointed out Binotto.
Ferrari found themselves in a slump this season. From losing out on engine power and pit stop mistakes to management challenges, the team suffered quite a bit.
The Maranello-based outfit and their drivers have also clarified that it could take some time to come back. It will be interesting to see this 2021 season whether Sainz and Leclerc can help Ferrari to a better season.
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