Charles Leclerc ‘would love’ Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin challenging for the F1 championship

Charles Leclerc recently spoke about how he would love to have Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin fighting for the top spots, as it will make the sport even more intense and exciting.

Usually, there are only two or three F1 teams and drivers fighting for the podiums or race wins. However, the Monagasque believes that the sport will flourish if all the teams are closely matched.

In a recent Beyond the Grid podcast, Charles Leclerc was asked about Fernando Alonso and how Aston Martin is taking huge strides to become a top team.

The Ferrari driver would appreciate the competition from the British team and explained how it would be just like F2 and F3 where he faced intense competition from almost everyone on the grid. He said:

"I mean, I would welcome anyone really. I would love for us to have a championship where all ten teams are fighting, or at least have a chance to fight for a win at one point and that are very, very closely matched."

He further added:

"In Formula 2, this was the case. In Formula 3, this was the case. And this is amazing because the driver can make a little bit of a difference. Whenever you push, you over push the limits, you pay the price much more than what I will do."

Charles Leclerc further stated how the mistakes made by drivers will have a much bigger impact if the grid is extremely close. He gave an example of qualifying, explaining that he would only finish behind Carlos Sainz and Red Bull if he did not perform. However, if the entire grid is close to each other in terms of performance, then one single mistake would throw him all the way back.

"Last year, if I was doing a bad lap in qualifying, I probably would end up fourth in qualifying behind Carlos and the Red Bull. And so you don't pay that measure price of that small mistake where if everyone is closely matched, if you do that small mistake in qualifying, you pass from first to P10 or P11, which I think is more exciting."

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Charles Leclerc is still finding the optimal driving style for the Ferrari SF-23

In the 2022 F1 season, Ferrari's F1-75 car suited Charles Leclerc as it had a pointy front end. However, the Monagasque has reported that the 2023 challenger is much different than what he is used to.

He has already tried different kinds of driving styles to adjust to the car, proving that his own style is incompatible with it. Leclerc said:

"The SF-23 has to be driven differently. I've tried different riding styles and I'm finding the right way but there's still work to do."

This statement from him also hints that the car could favor his teammate, Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard likes an understeer-heavy car, which is quite different from last year's F1-75. All of this will unfold in the first race of the season.