Charles Leclerc can be measured immediately towards essentially the most profitable System 1 driver of all time this 12 months. Final 12 months he as soon as once more out-scored Carlos Sainz Jnr, although there wasn’t a lot between the Ferrari group mates, and there have been days Leclerc didn’t fairly have the tempo.
However the mixed power of their driver line-up was additionally the rationale why Ferrari got here so near snatching the constructors’ championship with the third-quickest automobile over a flying lap. Leclerc due to this fact deserves credit score for prevailing towards a more durable group mate than the opposite drivers in our prime three confronted.
That was regardless of Leclerc’s considerably faltering begin to the 12 months. After brake issues in Bahrain, he delivered a podium end in Jeddah (which Sainz missed) then was overwhelmed to victory by his group mate in Australia. Leclerc recovered from a poor qualifying effort at Suzuka to path Sainz in fourth after being informed to let him by.
He hit his stride over the next races: Fourth was one of the best the Ferrari deserved in China, as was third in Miami (plus second within the dash race) and third at Imola. Then got here his elegant and cathartic win from pole at residence in Monaco.
Charles Leclerc
Finest
Worst
GP begin
1 (x3)
19
GP end
1 (x3)
14
Factors
356
At this level within the season Ferrari stumbled resulting from a flawed improve, and at occasions it felt Leclerc was over-compensating for the setback. He was lucky to keep away from a stiffer penalty for a daft incident with Lando Norris in observe at Catalunya, endured varied setbacks in Austria, and gambled fruitlessly on an early change to intermediates at Silverstone.
As soon as Ferrari obtained their automobile sorted, Leclerc obtained again into his stride and produced some glorious performances over the remaining races. From a shock pole place at Spa he completed third, a outcome he repeated at Zandvoort, each behind clearly faster automobiles. At Monza he shocked the McLarens, pinching victory with an adroit change to a single-stop technique which despatched the tifosi into raptures.
Oscar Piastri had revenge at Baku the place he mugged Leclerc for the lead after their pit stops, however the Ferrari driver was on the rostrum once more. Leclerc took his remaining win of the 12 months in Austin, revelling in a uncommon day when an SF-24 was the chassis to have.
Leclerc continued to ship sturdy outcomes over the ultimate races, even on events when qualifying didn’t go to plan. He rebounded from ninth to fifth in Singapore and took fifth once more within the rain at Interlagos.
Sainz continued to provide Leclerc complications once in a while. In Mexico, Sainz was clearly the faster of the 2 drivers, and Leclerc additionally misplaced to his group mate in a detailed struggle in Las Vegas. However he ended the season with two extra podium appearances: second in Qatar, and third in Abu Dhabi after a virtuoso drive from nineteenth on the grid.
That wasn’t fairly sufficient to ship the title for Ferrari, nor for Leclerc to overtake Lando Norris and equal his finest championship outcome. Nevertheless it was unquestionably his finest season-long efficiency up to now.
RaceFans’ driver rankings are primarily based partly on the scores awarded to drivers for his or her performances in every spherical in addition to different elements.
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