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Leclerc has made a number of mistakes in recent years

Leclerc has made a number of mistakes in recent years

04-08-2022 20:42
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GPblog.com

Charles Leclerc started the current season with great promise, but less than half a year later doubts are growing. The Monegasque was repeatedly caught making crucial mistakes in the first half of the season and he doesn't seem to be learning from them. GPblog lists a number of painful crashes of recent years.

Azerbaijan GP 2019

In his first season with Ferrari, he made a good impression in Azerbaijan. Leclerc achieved the fastest time in all practice sessions and therefore seemed ready for qualifying, but in this the driver was definitely not paying attention. Leclerc's car ended up crashing into the wall.

The tricky 8th corner was the culprit for the driver. Leclerc took the corner far too wide in Q2, so he was unable to leave his car undamaged. As a result, he drove the tip of his car straight into the wall, an incident that also happened to Robert Kubica one session earlier.

As Leclerc had already set a time, he still made it to Q3. However, his car was so damaged that he was unable to return to action on Saturday, so he started the race from ninth place. He was satisfied with a fifth place in the end, but there was a lot more to the weekend.

Monaco GP 2021

Last year, his home race in Monaco was even more dramatic. He was keen to impress in his home country, despite the title battle being between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. He was well on his way to doing so in qualifying, until things went wrong on the final lap.

While Verstappen worked hard to improve on Leclerc's time, the latter driver suddenly triggered a red flag. Once again, he crashed his car into the wall, losing control of the wheel. The entire right side of his car was destroyed.

Leclerc and his team did everything they could to continue the race weekend and try to take victory from pole position, but the Italian team could not solve the problems in time. As a result, Leclerc went home without having driven a race.

Imola GP 2022

That Leclerc continues to make crucial mistakes in races was evident at this year's Imola GP. In Italy he started the race second, but just after the start he was already in fourth place. From that position he tried to drive towards Sergio Perez at the end of the race.

The world championship runner-up was too enthusiastic, however, as he drove over the kerbs on entry. His car bounced so much that Leclerc was unable to pass the corner and drove into the barriers.

The result was that Leclerc had to go to the pit lane to get a new front wing and the podium was gone forever. With a sixth place Leclerc could not be satisfied, as he lost a lot of unnecessary points for the world championship.

French GP - 2022

It was not the only time this season that Leclerc lost his chances because of a personal mistake. During the GP of France, there seemed to be little to worry about for the Monegasque, but things still went wrong for Verstappen's challenger.

The reigning world champion seemed to have a tough job with Leclerc. His rival was allowed to start from pole position and had an excellent start, giving Leclerc the opportunity to pull away from the Dutchman.

On the eighteenth lap, things suddenly went wrong for Leclerc. Without any pressure from Verstappen, he crashed his car into the tyre pile and his race was over, giving Verstappen the perfect opportunity to take another victory.

 
 
 
 
 
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Een bericht gedeeld door GPblog.com Nederland (@gpblog_nl)

Conclusion

Despite being in his fourth season at Ferrari, Leclerc continues to make crucial mistakes in Formula 1. In recent years, the spotlight has been less on him, but in the championship battle, he can no longer afford such mistakes.

The difference with Verstappen in this respect is immense. The Dutchman caused the occasional crash in his early days at Red Bull Racing, but in recent seasons he has been hard to catch. Verstappen's maturity is what makes the difference in comparison to Leclerc.