Charles Leclerc report card: Ferrari rate his 2022 season so far
Charles Leclerc report card: Ferrari rate his 2022 season so far
The relationship between Charles Leclerc and Ferrari might have been tested a little in recent weeks but the love at Maranello for the Monégasque is unquestionable.
A string of unfortunate setbacks has seen a once-commanding championship lead for Leclerc turned into an equally significant for reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen.
That has not dampened the excitement at Ferrari for the potential shown by Leclerc, a fact emphasised by Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle in recent days.
Jock Clear on Leclerc in 2022
There is nobody better equipped to provide a report card on the 24-year-old's 2022 season so far than Ferrari senior engineer Jock Clear.
He told the F1 Nation podcast: "Super-impressed, impressed with all of his work. It's not just that he's very good over one lap.
"His races have been good this year. Obviously, the Imola mistake was silly and he knows that, but that won't happen again. That just shows the level he's pushing at.
"He's going to every race knowing that he can put it on pole and therefore knowing he can win. That's a huge fillip to anybody's morale and confidence when you're sitting in a driving seat."
The 2022 season has already seen one major swing in fortunes. Clear maintains that is good reason alone for Leclerc to ramp up the pressure on championship leader Max Verstappen.
"Not wishing bad luck on Max, or not wishing to win it by virtue of DNFs and that sort of thing, but reliability will play a part in this championship later on in the year as well for everyone," added Clear. "So there are more dice to roll.
"What we need to do is make sure that we go to every race, and do the best job we can in terms of performance, we make sure we get on the front row and put it on pole and keep the pressure on Max and keep driving as we've seen Charles drive all season - very, very well."
Ferrari hopes high for Silverstone
Next up for Leclerc and Ferrari is a trip to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on July 3, with the Scuderia heading there full of confidence.
"Charles' last words [before leaving Canada] were 'We need to arrive in Silverstone and smash it'," revealed Leclerc. "He's gonna be right back on the front.
"He's just desperate to keep in touch with Verstappen, and Silverstone will obviously offer us another opportunity to put it on pole and win a race.
"It's [the F1-75] been quick everywhere and I know that Charles will be competitive and Carlos [Sainz] will have got a lot of confidence [from finishing second in Montreal].
"So both of them are going to be up there. It's going to be business as usual and a very good fight with the Red Bulls."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Chinese Grand Prix Sprint 2024 results: Final classification with penalties applied
- 37 minutes ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 17 minutes ago
Perez hits 'engineer's brother' in Chinese GP incident
- 53 minutes ago
F1 News Today: FIA investigate F1 star as Ferraris clash at Chinese GP
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton dealt China blow after major FIA decision as Ricciardo given huge Horner warning - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
F1 team unveil star-studded lineup in China
- Yesterday 23:12
Related news
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Hamilton WARNED by Ferrari chief over performance levels
Brundle issues WARNING to 'under pressure' Ferrari star
F1 pundit says SHOCK team have ‘broken the back’ of rivals
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860