Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc CERTAIN that team can beat Red Bull to championship

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Monaco, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Superstars

F1 star CERTAIN that team can beat Red Bull to championship

Charles Leclerc thinks Ferrari have what it takes to beat Red Bull

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 7 June 2024 13:58 Updated: 15:27

Charles Leclerc has full optimism in his Ferrari team to get back to 'where it belongs' and win a Formula 1 world championship.

Ferrari are the most successful outfit on the F1 grid, having claimed 31 championships since entering the sport in its maiden year in 1950.

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However, the Maranello team have not won a drivers' or constructors' title since 2008, when they took home the constructors' title in a season where star driver Felipe Massa narrowly missed out on drivers' championship glory to Lewis Hamilton.

Since then, Ferrari have only managed 36 grand prix victories as a team, 23 less than Max Verstappen despite the Dutchman only starting his F1 career in 2015.

Ferrari have enjoyed a good start to the season

Fred Vasseur took over at Ferrari in 2023

Ferrari eye championship success

Since the ground effect era came into play in 2022, however, Ferrari have looked to be on an upward curve, regularly presenting themselves as the main challenger to Red Bull and Verstappen's dominance.

In 2024, the team have managed to claim two victories in the first eight races of the season and, led by Fred Vasseur, Ferrari seem to be assembling a strong team capable of challenging for championships once more.

Hamilton will certainly hope so, with the seven-time champion one of the impressive signings made by Ferrari in the last few months.

Leclerc has suggested that since Vasseur took over as team principal at the start of 2023, there has been one very clear target in mind.

“I have no doubts,” Leclerc told media of Vasseur after winning the Monaco Grand Prix. “I think since the first day he joined he’s got everything to bring the team back to where it belongs and that means to a world championship.

"He’s got such a clear vision of what he wants to achieve and how to achieve it. He doesn’t lose time and that is definitely his strength and I think his vision is really good.

“We share it very often, on how he wants to achieve those targets. I’ve always been completely aligned with the way he wants to change things to get to where we want to get. I have no doubt that he’s the right person and that he’s helping the team to get there.”

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari FIA Formula 1 Charles Leclerc Felipe Massa