Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has literally shot off the grid. Fans are now left to wonder how sustainable it is for both the driver and manufacturer.
Defending champ Max Verstappen’s mechanical problems have accentuated Ferrari’s piping hot start to the Formula 1 season.
Charles Leclerc took out the season-opener in Bahrain, with teammate Carlos Sainz right behind.
While ‘Mad Max’ picked up a win in Saudi Arabia, the 24-year-old Leclerc was right behind him. Lewis Hamilton, meantime, finished way back in 10th.
The rising star has already opened up a 20-point lead over Verstappen and sits 29 clear of Hamilton as the season heads down under.
Ferrari’s much-improved F1-75 package is talk of the town.
“I’m quite happy with this start of the season for sure,” Leclerc told Motorsport Week.
“The thing I’m happy about is not really the performance, but I know exactly where I still need to work … to unlock more performance.”
It’s still very early, but he’s a massive chance of dethroning the incumbents.
Since Leclerc’s arrival on the F1 grid, following back-to-back title success in GP3 and Formula 2, the Monégasques racing driver has showed plenty of speed and potential.
“Charles, he used to be very emotional and this year he has changed a lot,” Ferrari test driver Marc Gene recently told the F1 Nation podcast.
“Charles is like a 2.0 version of himself.”
After some lean years, Ferrari is back. And the manufacturer has a face worthy of its representation.
