Charles Leclerc has admitted that he didn’t fully understand the state of the country at Ferrari when he joined in 2019, and says it took him almost a year to see how things work at the Maranello squad.
These comments may surprise some as it looked like the Monegasque driver got up to speed almost immediately at Scuderia, taking pole position in his second race in 2019 (Bahrain) and winning from pole position in Belgium and Italy .
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But on a recent episode of F1 podcast Beyond The Grid, Leclerc explained why it took him so long to get used to how things worked on the colossal team he joined from Sauber-Alfa Romeo.
“I felt comfortable from the start,” he said. “I had to learn a lot, but I felt like I knew her straight away – about social relationships. Then, to feel comfortable in the way such a large team works? “Probably almost a year, I would say.”
“Almost a year to understand exactly the dynamics of the team, how to deal with problems, how to react to these problems. Yeah, probably almost a year.
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“It’s a long time. Yes, yes, it’s a very, very long time, but it’s very, very interesting,” he added. “Living feels a lot shorter and you can feel all the steps and every time you learn something and apply it, you just get a better understanding of how it all works. You also feel more in control of the situation. “
Now, in his third year at Ferrari, Leclerc is helping the team bring the midfield and hopefully back to the top, with two pole positions and a podium in 2021. He acknowledged that since joining the team he has been considered Freshman has matured significantly – Ferrari faced Junior in 2019.
Previous highs and lows in 2021: Charles Leclerc
“I have the feeling that as a driver, as a person, I’ve grown a lot,” he said.
“How much better? It’s hard to quantify, but I definitely feel like a better driver compared to my first arrival. How much detail we get after every tough race but every good race we’ve had … interesting; it is a sport that I’m constantly learning from and I think everyone on this grid learns every time they get in the car, “added Leclerc.
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Ferrari is heading into the summer break on par with McLaren, but next comes a favorite spot for Leclerc – Belgium – where he took a memorable and emotional first win in 2019.
Listen to the full Beyond The Grid podcast with Ferraris Leclerc in the player above, on Spotify, or on Apple Podcasts.
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