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Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert feels that in his quest for a world championship, Charles Leclerc will face the added pressure of being a Ferrari driver, which his rivals won't have to contend with.
According to Herbert, driving for the Scuderia comes with an additional responsibility due to the team's history in Formula One. Ferrari have not won a championship in the past 14 years, and after their performance in 2022, the expectations from Charles Leclerc are going to be higher than ever.
"There is pressure on Charles, with the Tifosi, the Italian media, Ferrari itself. Just being a Ferrari driver brings pressure which I don’t think Max or Lewis have," Herbert told Total-Motorsport.com.
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He added that the structure above Hamilton and Verstappen in their teams helps the drivers perform consistently.
"Toto [Wolff] and Mercedes, Christian [Horner] and Red Bull try to take that pressure off their drivers to allow them to breathe more easily. I think that’s where they have been able to deliver more consistently throughout the season," he added.
Mercedes struggled to adapt to the new regulations in the 2022 season, and at the same time, Ferrari were able to develop well enough to win races. This meant that Charles Leclerc was in a two-horse race for the title against Red Bull's Max Verstappen. However, it didn't go smoothly for the 25-year-old.
Though the start of the season was perfect for Leclerc's team with a 1-2 finish and the fastest lap, things started to deteriorate slowly. Reliability issues in Spain and Baku shot their points down, which was then followed by strategic mistakes and driver errors.
Charles Leclerc will face even tougher competition for the title in 2023
There will be more pressure on Charles Leclerc in the upcoming season after Ferrari proved in 2022 that they can compete at the top of the field. There will also be additional competition as the Silver Arrows will look to bounce back after a disappointing season.
Mercedes have extremely high expectations from their W14 and Lewis Hamilton should be able to challenge for his eighth world championship. Verstappen, on the other hand, will enter the 2023 season on the back of consecutive championships and will be the one to beat.
At the same time, however, Ferrari are looking good for the upcoming season. Under Fred Vasseur's leadership, they are expected to omit the mistakes they made last season.
