F1 LIVE: Ferrari: We Must Match Charles Leclerc’s Level to Win F1

Ferrari: We Must Match Charles Leclerc’s Level to Win F1 Titles

Ferrari has acknowledged that it must operate on the same high level as Charles Leclerc if the team wants to secure future Formula 1 championships. The team believes that Leclerc has the potential to be a world champion, but the onus is on Ferrari to provide him with a car and overall package capable of winning.

As the 2024 season enters its final stages, Leclerc remains an outside contender for the title. He currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship, trailing Max Verstappen by 86 points. Despite the gap, Leclerc has delivered a strong performance throughout the season, notching two race wins, including a victory at Ferrari’s home race in Monza, and securing nine podium finishes.

Jock Clear, Ferrari’s Senior Performance Engineer, emphasized that Leclerc has all the tools necessary to become a world champion. “He’s got what it takes,” Clear stated in an interview with F1.com. “I’ve said that since 2018. He’s got the qualifying pace—honestly, I think he’s the best qualifier we’ve seen. His race management is exceptional too. When everything is aligned, he can deliver.”

Clear also pointed out that Leclerc’s potential cannot be fully realized unless the entire Ferrari team performs at a championship-winning level. He remarked, “There’s more to it than just driving the car. It’s about getting everything lined up—strategy, car development, team coordination. We need to ensure all those elements are in place.”

Reflecting on Ferrari’s performance in 2022, Clear admitted the team was not ready to compete for the championship despite a strong start. Leclerc had taken a commanding 34-point lead early in the season, but Ferrari’s inability to maintain that momentum ultimately cost them. The season unraveled due to a mix of strategic errors, technical issues, and Red Bull’s superior development.

Ferrari had emerged as a contender under Formula 1’s new regulations, but as the season progressed, the team fell behind in key areas. “We were ahead by 40 points in the Drivers’ Championship at one point and were in a position to beat Max [Verstappen] at several circuits,” Clear explained. “But Red Bull out-developed us by the end of the year. We weren’t ready as a team.”

He acknowledged that Ferrari’s failings in 2022 highlighted the need for improvement in all departments. “You’re not going to win a championship until all of you are at that level,” Clear said. “It’s unfair to say Mercedes won all those championships just because they had the best car. They had the best of everything. The same goes for Max and Red Bull in the last three years—they’ve been at a championship-winning level in all areas.”

Looking ahead, Clear insists that Ferrari is not questioning Leclerc’s ability to perform. Instead, the team is focused on elevating its own performance to match Leclerc’s. “We need to perform at that level with him,” Clear noted. “When we’re all punching at that weight, I know Charles will deliver. He can do what’s required when we as a team deliver a car consistently capable of challenging for a championship.”

Ferrari has made strides in recent years, but Clear is adamant that the team needs to achieve more consistency if it wants to end its title drought. “We’re on the brink now,” he said. “But for us to win championships, we need to be at Charles’ level in every aspect, and I know when we get there, he will deliver the results.”

With six races remaining in the 2024 season, Ferrari’s focus is on fine-tuning its operations and ensuring that the entire team is operating at a world championship standard, ready to give Leclerc the chance to fulfill his potential as a Formula 1 champion.