Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has praised Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc following a difficult start to the European racing rounds.
Leclerc’s form has been the topic of conversation for many, just seven rounds into the season. The Monegasque walks away from the first double header of the year having experienced a double DNF. In Monaco, the hometown hero found himself in the barriers after a brake failure ended his race prematurely. The following week saw the Ferrari driver crash out of qualifying and then experience another mechanical DNF in Barcelona.
Currently, the 28-year-old sits fourth in the standings, two points ahead of a struggling McLaren duo. But a 40 points differential to his team-mate Lewis Hamilton will sting more.
Despite this, Coulthard has defended Leclerc amid his ongoing battle with Hamilton, suggesting the seven-time world champion’s resurgence would challenge any driver on the grid.
“He [Leclerc] is mature enough in his career now to understand that racing against a seven-time world champion, you’re certainly not going to beat him all the time,” Coulthard told the Up to Speed podcast.
“He probably found it a bit easier than he expected when he joined from Mercedes, he basically was still the pace-setter within the team.
Coulthard also praised Ferrari for letting the pair race one another without team orders. Allowing fans a glimpse into Hamilton’s sublime form.
“But what we’ve seen this year, think back to Shanghai, where they were pass, re-pass, battling. We were questioning whether Ferrari was doing the right thing, letting their guys race.
“But actually it was brilliant entertainment for us. It was the early times that Lewis Hamilton was back to his brilliant best.”
Coulthard believes Charles Leclerc still has time to prove himself in F1
Last month, Ferrari announced that Leclerc would remain a part of the team for the foreseeable future. Stating the growing bond and trust between Leclerc and the iconic F1 team.
Coulthard believes that Leclerc should not take this season’s results thus far to heart. Despite his recent struggles, Coulthard believes Leclerc should not let them derail his season, or even the battle between his team-mate. Instead, the British driver believes Leclerc should use it as motivation, considering his long-term future in the sport.
“He will be disappointed in his own performance in the last couple of grands prix,” Coulthard said.
“But he’s got a multi-million-pound secure contract going forward, even if the worst comes to worst for him, in that Lewis continually delivers, gets the wins, wins the championship, Lewis can surely only be around for another two years, three years.
“I can’t imagine he’s going to be around for the next five years, which I imagine is the length of the contract that Charles Leclerc has.”
Despite a difficult start to the campaign, Leclerc still has ample time to turn around his season. But with Hamilton the only driver capable of beating the Mercedes duo so far this season, the pressure is on the Monegasque to respond and prove he can match the seven-time world champion.
Discussion about this post