Charles Leclerc on what he likes about the new Ferrari team principal: "He believed in me"

Before Frederic Vasseur was announced as the newest Ferrari team principal last month, Charles Leclerc had already revealed what he liked about his former mentor.

After Mattia Binotto handed in his resignation to the team, there was significant speculation about who would fill the position. And on December 14th, 2022, Vasseur, the man whose name was being tipped to fill the vacant position in the Maranello-based outfit most aggressively, was confirmed to be the new team boss.

Before Vasseur's signing, Leclerc sat with the media at the annual FIA prize-giving ceremony in Bologna last month to explain his links to the Frenchman. He said:

"Ferrari is a very different team to any other teams. I can only comment on my experience with Fred which obviously has been good, I've worked with him already in the junior categories when he believed in me. We've always had a good relationship, but that shouldn't influence any of the decisions. He's always been very straightforward and very honest - it is something I've liked from Fred. Whether it will be him or not, I don't know. Hopefully we'll see in the next few months."

In the Monégasque's debut campaign in 2018, Fred Vasseur ran Charles Leclerc at Sauber. He was also mentored by Vasseur during his days as a junior in the sport. Leclerc, however, remained adamant until the day of Vasseur's appointment that his close relationship with his former boss will not affect the decision-making.

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"You’re always going to make a mistake in a season"- Charles Leclerc defends 2022 F1 French GP crash

Charles Leclerc is not being too harsh on himself for the mistake he made in the French GP earlier this season.

The Ferrari driver was involved in a close battle with Max Verstappen during the race. The Red Bull driver opted to pull off an undercut and pitted earlier than expected. As part of a counter-strategy, Leclerc opted to stay out and extend his lead in front. While pushing to try and open up the gap, however, the Ferrari driver made an uncharacteristic mistake and ended up in the wall.

Looking back at the incident, Leclerc told The Race that these things happen during a season, as he said:

“The toughest moments for me are always my own mistakes because I’m always very harsh with myself and whenever I make a mistake, I always take it in a worse way compared to when it’s somebody else’s.”

He added:

“Speaking about my mistakes, yes, I made a mistake in France. But speaking about the season like I’ve done this year… honestly, you’re always going to make a mistake in a season. This one was a costly one because I was obviously in the lead but it happens.”

Charles Leclerc is happy with his team's efforts to improve the car. He, however, admitted that they need better race execution and better pace on Sundays to win the title.