“You can understand his dismay in these conditions”: Charles Leclerc comes to his race engineer Xavi’s defense

Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc has come forward to support his race engineer Xavi amid concerns about their communication on the track. In the process, Leclerc also indirectly criticized former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.

Charles Leclerc voiced his support for his race engineer, Xavier Marcos Pedros, commonly known as Xavi, amidst growing concerns about their communication during races.

The concerns about Charles Leclerc's communication with Xavi likely emerged after a heated exchange between the two during the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Leclerc was frustrated when Xavi failed to inform him in a timely manner about Lewis Hamilton's position on the track. As a result, Leclerc lost his position to Hamilton, and his anger was evident over the team radio.

Leclerc later expressed his disappointment, stating that he needed to be informed earlier about Hamilton's position. The delayed communication hindered Leclerc's progress on the track, ultimately resulting in a seventh-place finish in the race. Addressing the concerns about a lack of communication between Xavi and Leclerc, the Monegasque stated to Le Equipe:

"Last year, when he spoke to me, there could be 40 people talking into his headphones. You can understand his dismay in these conditions."

Charles Leclerc takes indirect jabs at former team principal Mattia Binnotto

Although Leclerc did not explicitly name Mattia Binotto, it was clear from his statements that the Ferrari driver referred to the Italian when comparing the current situation to "last year" under Binnotto's leadership.

He lauded current team principal Frederic Vasseur and drew comparisons to the previous year when Binotto was in charge. He insinuated that communication issues were more prevalent during that time as he stated:

"Yes, there have been some tricky situations in the past, but it was all about communication. Fred has changed that way of working."

Leclerc subtly criticized the work conditions Xavi had to face under former team principal Binnotto. The Ferrari revealed how Xavi had to contend with numerous voices in his headset during their conversations in the previous season.

"But you don't know everything about how it happens. You don't know the way he has to work. Especially last year."

After a challenging start to the 2023 season, Charles Leclerc will be looking to regain his momentum and have a strong performance at his home race in Monaco.