Charles Leclerc, a driver for Ferrari, has acknowledged that he would not want to switch places with anyone else on the grid at this time.
In the lead-up to this weekend’s penultimate race of the season, Leclerc spoke with ESPN.
For Charles Leclerc, the 2023 season has been a case of what might have been a good year for him in the competition.
This year, his Ferrari has occasionally outperformed the blazingly fast Red Bull, if not outperformed it.
Only Max Verstappen has achieved more pole positions than the Monegasque driver.
However, he hasn’t been able to turn any of those starts into victories, and his season-long luck hasn’t been great.
Before he could even take the start in Brazil, a technical error put him in the barriers, giving Verstappen a great opportunity to challenge him.
He didn’t record a podium finish in Singapore even though he had the fastest car thanks to his team’s tactics.
However, Leclerc has admitted he wouldn’t swap his seat at Ferrari with any other on the grid right now.
Whether he would still feel that way if offered the chance to drive Max Verstappen’s Red Bull is another matter.
Leclerc says he wouldn’t swap Ferrari seat right now
The 26-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the following season, but he has expressed no interest in considering a transfer to a different team, saying, “I wouldn’t change my position with anyone else on the grid, so I don’t really think to that.”
“Do I want to take home the world titles? This applies to everyone, of course, but do I want to switch places with anyone? Well, I don’t.
“I have lived in the Ferrari family for a quarter of my life, which is a significant amount and means a lot to me.
“You get to know lots of people inside the team, you get to understand how much it means to them to work for Ferrari and how much it means to them to get back to winning.
“I know that I feel the same way, I want to be back to winning as soon as possible.
“It’s a bit of a family feeling now, it’s been so many years I have been within the team, whether it is as an actual race driver for Ferrari or at the Ferrari Driver Academy in the years before.
“It’s been many years together and I want to finish the mission with a world championship.”
Ferrari now have to give their drivers a car that can compete across a whole weekend
Leclerc’s commitment to loyalty—not trading in his Ferrari drive for a drive with another team—must be acknowledged as soon as possible.
Leclerc has demonstrated that he is among the top qualifiers currently on the grid, if not the best.
But his car’s speed on long runs has made it difficult for him to turn those pole positions into race victories.
Over the years, he has also been the victim of some awful strategy decisions.
His 22 pole positions and five career victories are a dismal record that needs to be improved over time.
In Las Vegas, he’ll be hoping for a change in fortune, as the Ferrari should perform better on the track than rivals Aston Martin and McLaren.
It will be difficult to keep up with Verstappen and his Red Bull in 2024.
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