Charles Leclerc ‘still lacks something’, says former Ferrari boss
The Monegasque driver trails Max Verstappen by 116 points in this season’s World Championship
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt believes Charles Leclerc “still lacks something” despite him being Max Verstappen’s closest challenger for the championship this season.
The Monegasque driver has won three Grands Prix this season but just one since his round three victory in Australia.
With six races left, Verstappen has a 116-point lead over Leclerc and the Red Bull star could claim his second world title at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
Ferrari’s season of promise has been overshadowed by strategy and driver errors, with Leclerc not aiding his prospects with mistakes at Imola and Paul Ricard.
Todt, who was also FIA president until last year, says the 24-year-old is “lacking something” but refused to elaborate on whether that was his skills at the wheel or something to do with the car or pit wall strategy.
“Charles is already a great champion,” said Todt, as quoted by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport. “He still lacks something, I hope he has it soon.
“Ferrari at one point had the best car in the championship. Then they missed certain opportunities – I’m thinking of strategy, a safety car that came in at the wrong time, reliability problems. Different episodes had a cost.
“We have to reflect on this to avoid them happening again. Never leave anything to chance.
“And if you manage to leave nothing taken for granted, all the ingredients are there to be champions.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments