Out of all blunders Ferrari made in 2022, one stands out. The one which completely ruined the race of Charles Leclerc and took away any possibility of him winning it. The race in question is the 2022 Monaco GP. Possibly the most disappointing home race for Leclerc despite his torrid track record. We are all aware of how Leclerc was asked to pit behind Carlos Sainz effectively ruining his race. Most blamed the frantic call from his trackside engineer Xavi Marcos for the debacle. However, a year on before we head into the weekend again, the Monegasque has defended the man behind the little voice in his ear while taking a subtle dig at his ex-boss.

We are all aware Mattia Binotto resigned from Ferrari under undesirable circumstances. This resulted in the signing of Frederic Vasseur from Alfa Romeo. Initially, the appointment of the French boss divided the opinion among the fans. However, if we are to believe Leclerc’s comments, as quoted by Formula Passion, ahead of the Monaco GP, the team is functioning better under Vasseur than it did under Binotto.

“The media don’t know all the aspects of how the relationship with Xavi (Marcos, Leclercl’s trackside engineer) works. Journalists don’t know the way he had to work, especially last year,” said the Ferrari driver.” (Translated by Google)

“Yes, it’s true, there have been difficult situations in the past, but it was just about communication. Fred Vasseur changed this way of working,” continued Leclerc. “Last year, when Xavi spoke to me, there might have been 40 people talking into his headphones about him. You can understand his difficulties in these conditions.”

Read More: Breaking Down Ferrari’s Costly Strategic Meltdown at the Monaco GP

Leclerc not only defended his trackside engineer and appreciated Vasseur, but he also took a dig at Binotto with the unorganized pit wall line of communication. The same line of communication might’ve been the reason behind the 2022 debacle. However, according to experts, the Ferrari man has a chance to redeem himself in 2023.

Charles Leclerc is given a huge boost to redeem himself in Monaco after the 2022 blunder

With the first five races as proof, there is no team on the grid that can compare to the pace of the Red Bull cars. However, that is not entirely true. Tom Clarkson revealed on the F1 Nation podcast that Ferrari and Aston Martin are close to the vastly superior RB19 on slow corners. This is exactly how Leclerc secured two pole positions on two street circuits. This led Clarkson to make a bold assumption for the upcoming race in Monaco.

Clarkson explained, “When you look at the GPS, and you look at the speed of the cars through slow corners, the Ferrari is faster than the Red Bull through the slow corners this year. And the Aston Martin is equal to it. So, when you look at Charles Leclerc’s record on street tracks, 2 pole positions in Baku with a car that is brilliant through slow corners, I think Charles is my money for pole position this time around.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Ferrari’s  Strategic Blunders Explained Ft. 2022 Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco street circuit is one of the most difficult overtaking tracks in the sport. If Leclerc can place his Ferrari on the pole for the race, he will have a massive chance of winning the race. For his sake, let’s hope a strategic blunder does not hamper his race once again!