LeClerc, A New Hope.
Rise of a new F1 icon
Story co-written with Sahil Kandhari.
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team, founded by Enzo Ferrari, from Maranello, Italy which competes in Formula One. Over the years, Ferrari has made itself synonymous with victory and racing glory. The scuderia started out in 1950 with a pursuit of excellence in Formula 1 and has since turned into a global symbol for speed, power & perfection.
Scuderia Ferrari is the only team to have stayed in Formula 1 since its inception, an incredible feat if you consider how insanely competitive Formula 1 gets. Many other teams tried fancying their chances at the pinnacle of motorsport only to wither away eventually. Ferrari didn’t just survive all these years, infact, they are the most successful team in the memoirs of Formula 1. With 16 constructors championships and 15 driver championships in their bag, the most by any team, what Ferrari has achieved is legendary indeed.
Dark Ages
As glorious as Ferrari is, it has slumped for a little over a decade compared its past grandeur. Michael Schumacher, statistically the greatest driver ever, was also the most successful driver for the scuderia. His stint with Ferrari, won him 72 Grand Prix wins, 5 convective drivers championships from 2000 to 2004, and Ferrari the constructors championships from 1999–2004. In 2007, Ferrari won the constructor’s championship as Kimi Räikkönen outdid rookie Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Fernando Alonso by just a single point bring home the driver’s championship as well. Ferrari clinched constructor’s again in 2008, while Felipe Massa competed with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Only this time, it would be the McLaren driver winning the driver’s championship by a single point in a karmic fashion indeed.
Ever since, things haven’t been quite the same for Ferrari. Though they came close with Alonso’s brave attempts in 2010 & 2012, the scuderia failed to shine against the almighty Red Bull during the Vettel era. And just like the rest of the field, Ferrari too was outmatched by the Silver Arrows in the Turbo-hybrid era, with Hamilton leading the charge. It was evident that Ferrari’s proven formula was no longer working. It was time to embrace change and bring in a new energy, a young talent to turn the tables again.
A New Hope
Charles LeClerc, a name making quite the noise on every racing platform en route F1, boasted the achievements of an undoubted champion. Seeing his stellar performances in FIA Formula 3 Euro and Formula Renault Euro series, Ferrari wasted no time getting him into the Ferrari Driver Academy. In 2016, he won the GP3 title and Formula 2 title in 2017, both years as a rookie. In doing so, he became the only driver to win both GP3 & F2 in his rookie year and also the youngest driver to win the crown of F2. Also, the latest member of the exclusive club of rookie F2 winners which includes Hamilton, Rosberg & Hulkenberg, not a bad company to be in.
2018
The incredible winning streak and the stellar CV rightfully got him a seat at the elite world stage of motor racing in 2018. And thus the prodigal son would begin his Formula 1 campaign with the Ferrari affiliate Sauber Racing (now Alfa Romeo Racing). Now, this was a team that placed 10th on the Constructor’s table the previous year, yet LeClerc couldn’t fail to astonish us. With 5 top ten finishes and a best result of P6, his rookie season was no lesser than his pre-F1 feats. Owing to his magnificent driving, the team finished 8th in 2018, with Charles ranking 13th, 4 positions ahead and 30 points clear of his Sauber teammate Marcus Ericsson.
However, it was just after 14 races in 2018, that he got the news of his dreams. Charles LeClerc was promoted to Ferrari. Now, it’s not very often that we see Ferrari go for young drivers who lack much experience, but his consistent performance and ability to learn and adapt quickly made Ferrari believe that he could drive alongside Sebastian Vettel. So, what actually prompted Ferrari that usually goes for experience to choose LeClerc over other options.
Well, part of the reason is because Ferrari was thinking more long-term than winning a title immediately. Now, Ferrari does want to compete for the championships but their decision may have been influenced by other factors in part at least.
Given that Raikonnen is past his prime and the imminent rule changes introduced by FIA set to kick in starting the 2022 season, it made sense to sign a young driver who would help build the team and the car afresh in a new era. It is absolutely clear that Mercedes has dominated the turbo-hybrid era and so far no one has been able to dethrone the champs for 6 straight seasons. More of a reason to sign LeClerc and allow him to gain some invaluable experience alongside 4 time world champion Sebestian Vettel. Having such an icon for a teammate, one is bound to pick up a few tricks on and off the track.
However, the most influential factor for Ferrari signing Leclerc could be Red Bull tying up Max Verstrappen to a long term deal. Red Bull’s gutsy move of showing faith in Max to be #1 certainly sent a lesson and a wind of change along the grid. The sooner a team signs a young talent, the faster they would build the team and car around these prodigies and make a culture which thrusts them forward in the run for not just a championship but an era of domination.
2019
Over the years, the Maranello outfit has seen several legends including Juan Manuel Fangio, Gilles Villeneue, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel drive for them. So, one can only assume that the ultimate dream of being a Ferrari driver naturally comes with a certain prestige and not to mention tremendous expectations.
The young gun finally joined his dream team and in doing so, Charles LeClerc became the youngest driver for Ferrari since 1961, and also the least experienced debutant since cult icon Gilles Villeneuve.
2019 was LeClerc’s first full season with Ferrari and one can argue that he clearly surpassed Ferrari’s expectations that they had from him this season. Coming into the season it was expected that Vettel was going to lead the team and be ahead of LeClerc in all aspects but to everyone’s surprise LeClerc outperformed the 4 time world champion. LeClerc finished 4th in the drivers championship ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Despite a great start with Ferrari, Charles would have to wait till his 13th race to win his first Grand Prix at Spa. Without losing any momentum, LeClerc bagged another win at Monza, an incredibly special occasion for Ferrari as they won the Italian Grand Prix after 10 years. By the time we finished at YAS Marina, LeClerc had made 10 podium finishes and, while clinching 7 pole positions which got him the Pole Trophy.
Astonishingly, LeClerc managed to shorten the learning curve and it is clear that with a great car he can be a direct contender for the title, which is beyond the kind of expectations Ferrari had from him going into the season. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, LeClerc had a clear shot at 3rd place in the drivers championship after qualifying at P4. With 5 laps remaining, he collided with teammate Vettel which resulted in a double DNF for Ferrari.
It was clear from the 2019 season that LeClerc is ruthless and hungry for more. With tension boiling in the team, Ferrari had to decide whom they should place their faith in, a 4 time world champion they have been with for 5 years or a young gun who might be showing early signs of a world championship. After a month long deliberations, Vettel and Ferrari decided mutually to part ways giving a start to the silly season. It was indeed sad to see Vettel leave Ferrari without a title (like his hero, Michael). The whole season of 2020 remains & we hope to turn out wrong, but again that’s just wishful thinking.
Beyond
Looking back at Seb’s 5 year partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, neither of them have realised their championship dreams. We can see why Ferrari doesn’t see an optimistic future with Vettel anymore and the fact that LeClerc outperformed Vettel in 2019 didn’t help Vettel’s case either. Witnessing the prodigious performance put up by the young talent, Ferrari saw a new glimmer of hope in LeClerc. Just 2 years into Formula 1 and Charles Leclerc has already become Ferrari’s #1 driver. With the team extending his contract till 2024, it’s impossible to not see how much faith Ferrari has in the Monegasque.
Undoubtedly, LeClerc is a serious talent & world championship material indeed. Though still a long way to go, the fight for his first Formula 1 championship just might be around the corner. And when you glue your eyes to screen on the 3rd of July, be sure to watch out for scarlet red #16 because Charles LeClerc has arrived.
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