As driver announcements go, the news earlier this week that Charles Leclerc had signed a contract extension with Ferrari for “several more seasons” was hardly a blockbuster one.
Leclerc’s Formula 1 career has been intertwined with Ferrari before he stepped into the cockpit of an F1 car for the first time. As a Ferrari Driver Academy member, Leclerc was very much a project for the Maranello team, which nurtured him through Formula 2 and helped secure him a debut season with Sauber in 2018.Having demonstrated his potential was real in his rookie season, Ferrari called him up to race for the Scuderia alongside Sebastian Vettel for 2019. For the next five seasons, Leclerc has been Ferrari’s most successful driver, taking five grand prix victories, 23 pole positions, 30 podium finishes and securing second place in the drivers’ championship in 2022 – after leading the standings in the early rounds.
But despite his success, Leclerc’s time with Ferrari has been defined by frustration and disappointment. After a strong first year in scarlet for Leclerc in 2019, Ferrari suffered two win-less seasons in 2020 and 2021 in the aftermath of a power unit controversy that cost the team a significant level of performance relative to what they had enjoyed previously.
When Ferrari became a winning team again with the major technical regulations changes for 2022, their title challenge buckled over the year with poor strategy calls, mistakes from Leclerc himself and the simply unstoppable performance of Red Bull.
Unlike team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr, Leclerc also went without a win last season. But in a year where Sainz was the only driver to win a grand prix while not in a Red Bull, Leclerc’s failure to win speaks more to the dominance of Red Bull than anything else.
Leclerc has staked his future on Ferrari and team principal Frederic Vasseur’s vision for the Prancing Horse by signing a contract extension – though for exactly how long is not clear. But will they achieve their dream of a world championship title together?
For
Leclerc has already proven that he has the potential to fight for world championship titles. His incredible pole position record demonstrates his outright speed, while his relative lack of wins only shows that Ferrari’s weakness has been in their race pace in recent years.
He has experience leading the championship and has shown he is capable of not just fighting toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen, but actually beating him too. Although he has been beaten by team mate Sainz many times in their three years together, Leclerc has been the Ferrari who has finished ahead more often than not.
With Ferrari’s resources and under the calm, measured leadership of Vasseur, it’s likely Ferrari will challenge for a title eventually – and Leclerc is the one best placed to lead that charge.
Against
No one would deny that Leclerc is one of the best talents in a field filled with incredibly gifted drivers. However, there’s no reason to assume that Leclerc will be able to compete for a title in his upcoming years as a Ferrari driver, let alone win one.
Leclerc is entirely dependent on his team producing a car capable of winning a championship – something they have been unable to do for almost twenty years now. Even though Vasseur has steadied the ship since taking over, the team dropped one place in the constructors’ championship last year to rivals Mercedes.
And even if Ferrari improve, there is still the difficult reality that Red Bull and Verstappen must lose ground if Ferrari have a chance of catching them. And with Mercedes looking to right the wrongs of the last two seasons, the mountain may just be a little too high for Ferrari and Leclerc to climb.
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I say
There’s no doubt that Leclerc remains one of the best drivers on the current grid and deserves an opportunity to fight for a title with a car capable of doing so. But in the age of Red Bull, it’s just not as simple as that.
Last year Ferrari avoided repeating the worst of their 2022 blunders. But there’s still the matter of the budget cap limiting resources and allowing smaller teams to have a better chance of competing. More competition means a bigger challenge to win a championship, and the likes of Mercedes will likely not stay out of contention forever.
Finally, there is the matter of the major power unit changes for 2026. While that offers a great opportunity for a factory manufacturer like Ferrari to steal a jump on their rivals, there’s also just as much chance that the team could get their new design wrong and be left playing catch up over many years. By which point Leclerc may seek greener pastures.
So will Leclerc win a championship with Ferrari? Ultimately, it’s hard to envision Ferrari never making it back to the front of the field, but whether Leclerc will be the one to get them there may depend on how long he commits to the team he describes as his ‘family’. If he remains with the Scuderia for the next decade, it seems possible. But will he win a title in the next few years? Unlike when he inked his last five-year deal, Ferrari has not disclosed exactly how long his new contract is for, making it difficult at this stage to bet on his championship dream coming true at this team.
You say
Do you think Charles Leclerc will one day win the world championship racing with Ferrari? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comments below.
Will Charles Leclerc ever win the F1 world championship driving for Ferrari?
- Yes (35%)
- No (65%)
Total Voters: 106
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MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
28th January 2024, 12:31
I think he could very well do it.
He’s quick enough and Ferrari might get it right.
Sham (@sham)
29th January 2024, 10:20
Ferrari might get what right?
The car? Very possible, even likely.
The team – management, strategy, etc? Also Possible, though not probable.
The development push through a season? Also possible.
The consistency? Unlikely.
All of the above? Not without a lot, and I mean a lot, of changes at the team. Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren are a long way ahead of Ferrari from an organisational standpoint – as are some of the midfielders, and have been for a long time.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th January 2024, 10:30
Yeah, that seems to be the reality at the team.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
30th January 2024, 16:19
“All of the above”.
Yes, I believe they can do it.
In 2023 they were the only team except Red Bull to win a GP.
Ferrari AF Corse won Le Mans.
Anything can happen in F1 and usually does.
F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
28th January 2024, 12:56
If you put Leclerc, Max, Lewis, Alonso, Norris, Russell and Sainz all in identical cars and let them race over an entire season Leclerc wouldn’t make it in the top 3 of the standings.
For sure Max, Lewis and Alonso will be ahead and then it will be close between the other 4. Leclerc is faster than Sainz and Russell but Sainz/Russell tend to be smarter during the race.
notagrumpyfan
28th January 2024, 16:13
That would be my assessment as well.
Except I’m not convinced how ‘smart‘ Russell really is. He seems to be a risk taker, and wants to try alternative strategies. But more often than not he was wrong.
Sainz seems to be a smarter driver (up there with the best), but he also has many so-so days.
Though that still leaves the four other drivers who I expect to beat Leclerc over a full season in equal material.
MichaelN
28th January 2024, 20:11
Seems a bit of strong prediction. Verstappen would probably have the measure of Leclerc. But we also know Verstappen was in a special place last year. His other seasons weren’t like that; it sometimes happens, but rarely lasts.
I imagine Leclerc would probably finish that fictional season either 2nd or 3rd, depending on how well Hamilton does.
Norris has struggled to match Sainz, raised his stock by beating a completely defeated and self-doubting Ricciardo, and has already been run close by a rookie. Alonso hasn’t had serious competition in a decade, and has missed a lot of good opportunities to deliver results even when he was at his peak. If Leclerc can perform at his best, Russell and Sainz won’t be close.
Osnola
29th January 2024, 18:21
Strange, it seems YouTube are a bit confused. Het is one of the most consistent drivers on the grid.
On the other hand, it could be the otter drivers are even worse. So hé only is the best of the worst ;)
Jere (@jerejj)
28th January 2024, 13:00
I hope yes, but by gut-feeling, I voted no.
MacLeod (@macleod)
29th January 2024, 7:56
That is how i felt too when i saw the question. My heart says yes but my head says no …
Simon
29th January 2024, 21:32
The ultimate
https://shorturl.at/lqwM8
(Not even February yet…)
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
28th January 2024, 13:01
Ferrari possibly, but I doubt it will be Leclerc that wind a WDC with them.
RH
28th January 2024, 13:18
The right question to ask is whether Ferrari will become serious again and have good race management in addition to producing a car that can last a whole season when it comes to fighting for wins or podiums every race.
Every driver since Raikkonen has had to deal with an incompetent team. Sure, the driver has their own skill issues like Vettel or Massa but Ferrari is just averse to success as it stands.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th January 2024, 20:38
2018 though they had a good enough car to win, however vettel was too busy spinning.
Jogo
28th January 2024, 23:21
Yeah keep putting the blame on Vettel. He’s 4-time world champion. Red Bull is back winning again. Vettel or not Ferrari is still struggling. First it was from ’79 to 2000. The saga continues. Can be 40 years without winning.
MichaelN
29th January 2024, 0:17
That’s very unfair on Vettel, who dragged that car into contention while his fellow world champion teammate won a mere single race.
The 2018 season came undone for a variety of reasons; the completely bungled upgrade path that had to be stripped off the car by the US GP, the awful strategy calls that had Vettel playing race engineer from inside the cockpit, a teammate that seemed completely disinterested in playing the teamgame (in Germany and Italy in particular), and also just a bunch of ‘if it rains it pours’ moments. The spin in Italy was such a silly little tap that 9 out of 10 times that happens both drivers continue along just fine. It also has to be noted that Hamilton and Mercedes underperformed in the early season, as they did in 2017, thereby helping the narrative that Ferrari was always in with a shot of winning races.
It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out for Ferrari and Vettel, but they’re the only ones who gave Hamilton and Mercedes a run for their money. Nobody else managed that until Mercedes itself bungled the 2021 floor changes.
RH
29th January 2024, 10:16
They did but they also didn’t optimize and put all eggs in one basket with him. Like using him to tow Kimi at Monza for instance.
Vettel made it too easy by spinning off multiple times and provided no real competition in the end but then you cannot deny that Ferrari themselves were and still aren’t operationally as good as the top teams.
There’s a good chance that even if Vettel didn’t spin off much, Ferrari would have anyways lost the title because of their own incompetence, not even Vettel’s.
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
28th January 2024, 14:44
5 wins from 23 pole positions says everything. Unless Ferrari is at least 0.3s up on Red Bull and on par in terms of reliability and operations, Max will win almost everything in the foreseeable future.
BamBoomBots
28th January 2024, 15:26
I’m questioning that in his case, his collection of poles, correlates to actually having a one-lap pace advantage over Max or Lewis. His first year at Ferrari was, unfortunately for him, in a car which was quite obviously not adhering to regulations and therefore I can’t really see the poles and wins from that year as valid. It was also a year where I considered Max, at a similar age to Charles, to be definitely a step above him in terms of general pace and driving capability. If this gap persists, this does not bode well for Charles as long as Max is in F1. Sure, the absolute gap might decrease as they both come closer to the limits of what is humanly possible, but as long as its there Charles will need a car that is a few tenths faster than the RB to actually challenge Max.
Lewis, who probably has around 5 more years in F1 at most, is probably not as much of an issue on the long term but I still consider him capable of challenging for the WDC if given the right car. When it comes to that, Mercedes or Red Bull are more likely to be able to make a WCC kind of car than Ferrari for at least the next 2 years. After that the regulations will become so restrictive that F1 becomes semi-spec, so driver ability becomes a larger differentiator. When that time arrives, I do think at that point F1 will be dominated by Max, Charles and possibly Lando/George, perhaps with Albon or Piastri up there too. Lewis and Alonso will probably lack the outright pace to be competitive at that age with the younger guys, although their skills in setting up their car might help them if the semi-spec regulations offer enough freedom in that area. Then again, given the amount of data teams have available nowadays, and the experience from a guy like Max being on similar levels to Lewis/Alonso, but with extra pace due to the age difference, I doubt that they could still put on a challenge over a season at that point.
So it boils down to this; can Charles perform on a level similar to the level Max has shown for the past few years, in terms of pace and consistency? Right now, I’d argue that’s not the case, but he does show potential to do so at times. Can he surpass Max’ level so that he can beat him in an inferior car over the season? Very unlikely. Therefore, if Charles can reach Max’ level, he’d need Ferrari to reach at least Red Bulls level. So both sides need to improve. That means there’s a lot of things that have to get sorted. In the end I would not say it’s impossible that Charles gets a WDC with Ferrari in the next 5-10 years, but unfortunately, I do think that the chance that it doesn’t happen, is larger than the chance it does. There’s simply a whole lot of work to be done at Ferrari and by Charles, and I’d argue that’s more work than Max/RB, and Lewis/George/Merc have to do. Lando/MCL and Aston are also outside contenders, but a bit of an unknown as they have not been a consistent multi-season podium challenger for a long time now.
RH
28th January 2024, 17:09
There had basically been at most 2 drivers in all of F1 history who have performed at Max’s level wrt consistency especially over a sample space as large as nearly 6 years and counting.
So that’s a near impossible bar. Leclerc doesn’t need to be that good, just like Hamilton didn’t need in 2021. Just rely on good fortune for you and misfortune for others and given Leclercs time in F1 I’m sure he has plenty of good fortune coming his way.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th January 2024, 20:39
You’re forgetting that even if the 2019 car was illegal, mercedes was still significantly faster in race trim, so leclerc was still fighting with a hand tied behind his back that season, so I find it a very impressive first season at ferrari.
A shame he wasn’t driving for ferrari in 2018, that was a good car.
Jogo
28th January 2024, 23:02
However in 2019 he was still beaten by Verstappen. Very impressive.
Coventry Climax
28th January 2024, 15:36
There’s another factor to be considered here: The FiA and Liberty and their holy show.
I can really see them interfering in a championship and altering the rules in favor of one team or another, and there’s no reason why that team wouldn’t be Ferrari. It’s been done before, and there’s nothing to prevent them doing it again.
anon
28th January 2024, 16:26
Coventry Climax, no offence, but complaining that the FIA and commercial rights holder are biased in Ferrari’s favour and either want to interfere, or are actively interfering, to help them is pretty much the default complaint that has been copied and pasted for decades now and is thoroughly unoriginal.
Coventry Climax
28th January 2024, 17:44
No offence taken, Anon: Your answer to what I say though, says a lot about how you think. Read again and verify:
I did not say that it is Ferrari that is actively and knowingly singled out to be favoured by a rules change.
I do say that we’ve seen rules changes in the past, even during a season, for that matter, that are unfavourable to some teams, but may be beneficial to others, and there’s no reason why Ferrari couldn’t be one of the latter.
Yes, I do say these changes are -and have been- triggered by the holy show, willingly devised to -under some pretext- make things more difficult for the team that’s ahead. That too, has happened to Ferrari in the past.
Ferdinand
29th January 2024, 8:03
I agree. There have been plenty examples of rules changes in an attempt to up the show by levelling the field (or at least attempt to level the field). Sometimes it worked out (ref: tire change rule mid 2021 bringing back Mercedes in contention; otherwise the season would have been over mid way). Sometimes it didn’t work to the extent intended or it didn’t at all (ref: porpoising ride height thing). It has worked against some teams and it has worked in favour of the same teams from time to time though the decades. So the perpetual meddling could fall Ferraris way and is more likely than not if you realise Liberty will need Ferrari to win as it is such an icon within their entertainment franchise. It will be good for revenue, so it will be staged sooner or later.
MichaelN
28th January 2024, 16:20
That’s not really true.
Ferrari had cars capable of fighting for the championship in 2022, 2018, 2013, 2012, 2010, and 2008, they won in 2007, they were fighting for it in 2006.
Their campaigns were undone for a variety of reasons, but one of the things that keeps coming up is that they are politically incapable of preventing mid-season regulation changes or dodgy acts of regulation enforcement, and have a habit of mismanaging their drivers both in terms of strategy and tactics.
Ever since Todt left, they have had very little political influence. Marchionne (and by extension Arrivabene) got some of that back, but his early death ended that brief resurgence.
anon
28th January 2024, 17:00
MichaelN, except it could be pointed out that Ferrari lobbying did have quite significant impacts during that period, and that pressure from them did result in “mid-season regulation changes or dodgy acts of regulation enforcement”.
To pick a particularly notable season, even before the 2012 season started, Ferrari’s pressure not only got the FIA to change the regulations around the exhausts and for engine mapping, they also pressured the FIA into banning the reactive ride height system that Lotus had planned for the E20 (bearing in mind that Lotus had originally obtained written permission from the FIA’s technical delegate, only to have that withdrawn once Ferrari started complaining).
Furthermore, during that season, there were also mid-season regulatory changes around the front wing deflection tests – regulations that Ferrari were reported to have come about because of regulatory lobbying by Ferrari.
Coventry Climax
28th January 2024, 17:52
Now you got me puzzled, when I put this reply of yours alongside your (first?) reply to me, almost directly above.
So what is it, do we or do we not get (in season) rules (interpretation) changes that are favourable to some teams, but unfavourable to others?
anon
29th January 2024, 7:39
Coventry Climax, neither comment has to be contradictory.
The previous poster has tried to portray Ferrari as always being the one targeted to be punished by the sport and of having negligible political influence, when in reality they do still have significant political influence and have had rule changes made that they have thought might benefit them.
At the same time, your comments about “the holy show” – ironically, you seem to have more of an obsession about “the show” than Liberty Media itself – tends to lean excessively in the opposite direction and implies a level of co-ordinated interference that does not match up with the actual rule changes that are taking place (there is a difference between saying that an individual team might be able to lobby for changes in a particular area of the regulations that might benefit them, and your suggestion of Liberty Media pushing for wide scale changes in regulations across the board).
Despite having a particularly dominant performance from Red Bull, 2024 is currently notable for the fact that the technical regulations are completely static, whilst the only notable change in the sporting regulations is the FIA deciding to shorten the window within which teams can protest results to 96 hours after the race (a change where the main beneficiary seems to be the FIA itself).
Meanwhile, when we hear reports about the sorts of changes that are being pushed for by the commercial rights holder, they’ve only really talked about wanting to adjust the sprint race regulations to expand the number of sprint races on the calendar – a change that doesn’t seem to be targeted at any particular team.
Coventry Climax
29th January 2024, 13:16
Those are a lot of words to deflect from you not reading (or jumping to conclusions as to) what I say, and to mellow out the contradiction in your replies.
Allow me to use even more:
In your reply to this post, you say Ferrari can plea, and in the past already have succesfully pleaded, for rules changes. That might happen again, and it will not be in favour of their competition. Likewise, it should be possible for other teams to do the same. If it weren’t, we’d have a clear inequality straight away. Again, those pleas will be in their own favor, not the competition’s.
In your reply to my post you say it’s a myth (which you falsely say I support) decisions were made against Ferrari. These contradict, especially since the word ‘consistently’ is nowhere to be found in my words.
The fact is, the FiA have helped Ferrari from time to time, just as they have helped other teams from time to time.
I didn’t say these rules changes were FiA or Liberty initiated, but regardless of where the initiative comes from, they are the two bodies who ultimately decide on whether to make a change or not, with a majority among teams easily found if it hampers the frontrunners the most, and the show is most definitely on their mind.
Actually, there’s not a lot of changes over the past years that do not intend to equalise the field further and further.
Equalising is the single word we use for ‘helping here, hampering there’.
Whether I like that or not is another matter, but in my replies here, I don’t even comment on that, I just say it exists and that Ferrari might be the next team benefitting. But draw your conclusions on how I feel about it from the lyrics below.
The rules being the same for this year is true – initially. Let’s see what happens during this season first though, before drawing conclusions -into the future!- on whether nothing was changed during the season. Also, this coming season might very well trigger further rules changes for next season. And that’s even separate from which team(s) might then benefit, although to be fair, it’s generally quite clear what the intended direction for it all is.
The Trees
Rush
There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas
The trouble with the maples
And they’re quite convinced they’re right
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can’t help their feelings
If they like the way they’re made
And they wonder why the maples
Can’t be happy in their shade
There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream “Oppression”
And the oaks just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
“The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light”
Now there’s no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw
Lyrics Neil Peart RIP
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
28th January 2024, 16:53
I think we’re back in the mid to late 90s, where one driver is so far ahead in so many areas that it will take a rule change and a car advantage for him to be beaten. Schumacher was certainly beaten by better cars and not better drivers.
Realistically only Ferrari and Leclerc can be title challengers. I don’t see any other driver/team combination able to fight internally and externally over 24 races. Even then, Ferrari will only be successful if they commit all their resources to Charles and his driving style. Charles in turn needs to tone down his speed and develop consistency, as he showed in the final act of the 23 season. I think this new contract is a signal of intent from both sides, a recognition that Max is borderline peerless at the moment and it’ll take a Hakkinen-esque performance from team and driver, in complete harmony to beat Red Bull.
I think Ferrari can provide the car, Vasseur the direction and Leclerc the driving quality but as we saw in the Dominicali-Alonso days, 2 out of 3 is not good enough.
RH
28th January 2024, 17:11
Spot on assessment except Ferrari being able to provide a car in my opinion.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th January 2024, 10:37
Hm, to do so, Ferrari needs to do what Charles is seemingly doing – learn from Carlos that the drivers ARE often doing a better job then their teams strategy department, and CHANGE to improve that.
Until the team learns to upgrade by building upon their strong points, learns to execute pitstops, device and execute the right strategies and yeah, that includes the team quickly arranging the order of their drivers to maximise results overall instead of dallying for laps while viewers are amused by arguments and waiting to see opportunities disappear.
Sorry, I just don’t see it happening at Ferrari for a boatload of reasons. I do think Vasseur has it in him to change this team, but I am not convinced he will be given enough leeway to actually do it. And I am not convinced either Charles or Carlos are the drivers to make it count at the right moment.
But I’d be happy to see them grow into something they aren’t, since the sport would only benefit from more serious competition to Red Bull/Max.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
30th January 2024, 7:54
If I’m being honest I think the strategy element is overplayed now @bascb. It was unquestionably a problem in 2022 – but my main concern at the time was that Binotto was too ingrained in the Ferrari culture to effectively investigate and add controls. Many of the strategy calls appeared to me to be “computer says yes” – I can’t think of another reason to not pit Charles at Silverstone or on the right lap in Monaco for example. Had Binotto been more ruthless, I think he’d have kept his job, Vasseur gives me the impression he will be.
I also think there has been a paradigm shift on strategy calls in the past few seasons which wasn’t there historically. Even with Brawn and Schumacher, Michael wasn’t credited with coming up with the strategy, and in many cases he blindly accepted the pit walls guidance and made it work through extreme talent. The same could be said of Lewis in his heyday, he was constantly overruled by the pit wall. So I don’t think it’s a character failure from Leclerc, I think it’s a procedural failure from Ferrari, and one with significant improvement last year.
Another element is that whilst Ferrari haven’t had the outright best car for a number of seasons they have beaten Red Bull and Mercedes in the recent past, they’ve just not had a dominant car. When they did have their best car, in 2022, they did make a mess of it but a lot of that was reliability, which one would hope improves year on year, and strategy. Leclerc overdriving played a part too.
I suppose I can only see Ferrari winning post Newey or if Red Bull have an engine or regulation complaint. I simply don’t think Max car be beaten in equal cars by anyone over the next 5 years at least. But, if Ferrari build around Leclerc and fix the glaring issues then they’re the next best thing. If Max decides to resurrect Mercedes or get a $200m contract from Andretti, I think Leclerc Ferrari could beat Norris Red Bull. I think Ferrari can win the title with Charles, but if they don’t by 2027, they’ll replace him with Max – then they’ll certainly win it.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
28th January 2024, 17:33
As much as I would like to see it happen, my gut instinct tells me he will not win with Ferrari. Charles is very quick but can be a little inconsistent. Things would need to go absolute right for him and on the car, I don’t see Ferrari getting their noses in front anytime soon. I too think they would have to concentrate all their resources on Charles with the other car hosting a no. 2 driver. I don’t think Carlos is that person. The team leadership needs to improve as well.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
28th January 2024, 19:38
Unless Ferrari can produce a car that is vastly superior, a world championship is unlikely.
bull mello (@bullmello)
28th January 2024, 19:54
Looking forward to 2026.
Red Bull will have Ford powertrains. Is Adrian Newey still going to be a part is this team? We don’t know, yet, in either case.
Other teams, especially Mercedes, Ferrari, could be the leaders in 2026.
The future is uncertain…
Sam
28th January 2024, 20:08
Technically yes, but by driving a Ferrari Hypercar in World Endurance Championship. Doubtful about F1.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th January 2024, 20:32
“Leclerc is entirely dependent on his team producing a car capable of winning a championship – something they have been unable to do for almost twenty years now.”
Disagree with this: first of all it’s wrong to round them up so much, since they won a constructor’s title in 2008, so that’s only 15 years considering the period of the year that was, and also the 2018 car was just fine for this purpose, the driver wasn’t.
MichaelN
29th January 2024, 0:22
The 2018 car was considered good because said driver often performed miracles with it.
Let’s not overlook the fact that his teammate, who was also a world champion, won all of 1 race with it, and spent the year squabbling with Bottas and Verstappen in the points table.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th January 2024, 20:45
As for the question at hand, I voted no, I’d like it if he won a title at ferrari, but I don’t trust ferrari on delivering a car\developing the car during the season\avoiding pit wall mistakes enough to actually win a title, no matter the driver, as long as red bull and merc are in the sport.
On top of that, I have some doubts over leclerc’s ability to deliver the max amount of possible points every single race in a season, which is needed for a title fight, but that’s a moot point as long as ferrari doesn’t make a car that is a title contender all year long.
Neil (@neilosjames)
28th January 2024, 21:34
I thought about this one by asking myself whether I considered there to be a greater than 50% chance Ferrari would produce the best car on the grid at any year between now and 2030.
So it’s a no vote, but one never does know.
notagrumpyfan
28th January 2024, 21:59
They did so though at the beginning of 2022.
But poor strategies and some inconsistencies of their drivers didn’t get them the results.
Tristan
28th January 2024, 21:42
Sure, why not, but would I put money on it? Definitely not.
slowmo (@slowmo)
29th January 2024, 0:16
I voted yes but that’s partly a belief in Vasseur turning the ship of Ferrari as much as any faith in Leclerc. I wouldnt rule out either Ferrari or Mercedes nailing the next power unit design. RBR is a serious question mark in the next power unit change.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
29th January 2024, 2:05
Ferrari has been stuck at a similar performance level since 2009. Not terrible, capable of wins here and there, but never capable of competing throughout the season. I can’t see it turning around any time soon. Best case scenario, I reckon he’ll beat Stirling Moss’ record for the most wins without a championship. I just can’t see Ferrari sustaining a championship fight. It won’t be too long before they break their Scheckter-Schumacher drought of 21 years…
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
29th January 2024, 9:28
I’m a Ferrari fan since the late 90s. I’ve come to terms with “Next year is our year”. And at the start of 2022, I thought it actually was. It looked great at the start.
I think Ferrari will find it eventually, and I think 2024 is exciting because Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes all changed concepts during 2023 which means they all ran “compromised” packages. If one of those 3 can get close to Red Bull in 2024, who says the others can’t too?
Still, I don’t see Ferrari winning another title for years to come as they are still struggling with only winning by outspending, and they can no longer achieve titles that way.
RR
29th January 2024, 18:24
I very much doubt Ferrari can get there with LEC. But they can certainly join the fight at the sharp end. If they want more than that, they must get themselves a real deal title winner.
Kim Philby (@philby)
30th January 2024, 6:00
I think the question is will Ferrari be able to pull of a sustained title challenge over the course of the year? The last time they did Massa almost won it from Hamilton. So if Ferrari can produce a great car such as the F2008 was and also develop it succesfully I think Charles will be up to the challenge. The same thing happened in 2007, remember back then we thought that the Alonso-Hamilton pairing was comparable to the Raikkonen-Massa one, of course over the course of the years we realized that this wasn’t the case. The ball is in Ferrari’s court, Leclerc may be not the next Senna, or Schumacher but in my opinion worse drivers than him have claimed the title.
Cranberry
31st January 2024, 8:31
Ferrari is too busy being Italian, and smug about it’s own existence; to ever have The Team, The Car, or The Strategy capable of winning the WDC before 2030…. and by then Leclerc’s time will be up, such is the life of an athlete.