Ferrari ambassador details changes which make ‘Charles Leclerc 2.0’ a genuine Formula 1 title contender

Charles Leclerc has become less “emotional” in order be able to challenge for the Formula 1 title, according to Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene.

24-year-old has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2022 season, taking pole position and victory at the opening race in Bahrain in mid-March before finishing second to Max Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Both races saw Leclerc tussle for the lead with his Red Bull rival across multiple laps, with the Monegasque using high-quality tactics and tricks around overtaking areas to maximise his chances.

He couldn’t quite defend against Verstappen for long enough in Jeddah last time out, but still enjoys a 20-point lead over the Dutchman in the standings thanks to Red Bull’s double retirement with engine failure at Sakhir.

Former Ferrari test driver Gene believes that Leclerc has altered his mentality in order to become a serious threat to the crown Verstappen won for the first time in 2021.

“Charles, he used to be very emotional and this year he has changed a lot,” Gene explained. “Charles is like a 2.0 version of himself. When I went to Barcelona for the private testing, we spent a lot of time together and he was completely changed in his mindset and his mentality, and you can see it. [In Bahrain] I was expecting Charles to be more over the moon after qualifying, after the pole, and the race, but he seemed so much more mature and aware that this is a very long championship.”

That ability to maintain composure is something Gene recognises in the rest of the team, and he believes that the calming influence of team principal Mattia Binotto and second driver Carlos Sainz can help keep Leclerc on the right path.

“I think Mattia, Charles and Carlos are going to be very important in keeping these emotions that we Italians, we tend to have,” Gene said. “So, I leave that to the tifosi. But the three main characters of this team, which are the two drivers and the team principal, they are not emotional; Mattia is half-Swiss [and the calmness] you can see with Carlos, it comes from his father.”

Mercedes have dropped the running order in the early stages of the 2022 campaign, having won the previous eight constructors’ championship, with a car which is suffering from intense bouncing at high speeds and which is slower than its rivals through the corners. Gene says that Ferrari now have a chance to take advantage of a new era of racing at the front of the pack.

“I think cycles cannot be beyond the one that Mercedes has had any longer; that is the longest probably that we will see in F1 history,” Gene added. “But definitely [Ferrari’s] group of people are ready to open a new era. I always say you learn more from the bad years than from the good years and now that we have a good car, we are ready for a new era I think, because it is the same people that suffered so much.”

The third round of the 2022 Formula 1 season takes place at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia on the weekend of 8 April.