Formula 1: Charles Leclerc might fantasize about replicating Michael Schumacher’s inheritance at Ferrari, however, he’s taking a different approach altogether with regards to committing mistakes. The Monegasque driver has a car fit for world titles in his short career, yet individual and team’s strategic blunders have cost him in 2022 up until this point. Follow Formula 1 updates on InsideSport.IN
“I really don’t see the point of hiding it. And sometimes it is so obvious to everybody that the mistake comes from the driver. I just don’t understand the drivers that are trying to have excuses with the wind or whatsoever. I mean, sometimes it can happen. One out of 200 crashes, you’ll get something very strange happens,” Leclerc said.
“But I just don’t like to lose time with finding excuses because that’s exactly when you start to lose time, and you just don’t go forward. This is also good for the people that are working around me because they know that whenever I’m going to make a mistake. I’m gonna be very honest, and I hope that is going to be the same for them. So then everybody can just learn quicker, and it is the case in Ferrari,” Leclerc added.
Schumacher won five of his record seven Drivers’ Championships consecutively at Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. However, the legendary German driver was infamous for declining to concede when he had made a mistake, normally getting away through the ‘racing drivers’ book of excuses’ as a result of his undisputed greatness.
For Leclerc, it’s a differentiating approach. The 24-year-old trusts there’s ‘no reason for’ admitting mistakes and has conceded he ‘fails to see’ why few drivers hurry to make excuses in the cutting-edge environment of the sport.
Very honest words from Leclerc on Sky, admitting his crash was an “unacceptable” mistake:
Charles: “If we lose the championship by 32 points at the end of the season I will know where they are coming from”#F1 #FrenchGP #Autosport
— Autosport (@autosport) July 24, 2022
LECLERC CRASHES OUT OF THE FRENCH GP! 😤 pic.twitter.com/7elKawZANe
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 24, 2022
Leclerc has sat on pole position in seven of the 13 races this season, however, has just converted only two of them in triumphs and has three wins overall. In comparison, Max Verstappen, who flaunts more experience battling at the standings’ culmination, has been on pole only three times in 2022. However, he accomplished his eighth win in Hungary, extending his title lead over Leclerc to 80 points.
After 13/22 rounds 👀#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Jqvyb3OBOb
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 31, 2022
Meanwhile, Leclerc’s inexperience and Ferrari’s title-battling rust have displayed on events this season notwithstanding the Scuderia’s renowned history. Furthermore, he’s made sense that while each driver will respond to mistakes in an unexpected way, he likes to deal with them directly to help improve and develop quicker.
“[Errors are] part of the experience. It’s part of the path of anybody in whatever work you do. At one point, a mistake will happen. Every individual will react in a different way. This is my way of reacting to it. And I’ve always felt the benefit of being honest with yourself and just grow from it,” Leclerc concluded.
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