F1, does Charles Leclerc trust Ferrari? Former partner is adamant

Certainly not sky-high morale: the word of those who know him well.

Charles Leclerc had started the 2022 Formula 1 season with victories and high hopes, before he slipped into a spiral of bad results that led him to -80 points behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. And the fact that, after so many problems and mistakes, his confidence toward Ferrari is no longer that of better days is speculation drawn by Marcus Ericsson, his partner in Alfa Romeo in his Formula 1 debut year.

“Charles has been fast this year, but there have been many problems,” Ericsson reminded ‘Sky Sports F1’ Britons, interviewed during the ‘Any Driven Monday’ program. “What happened at the French Grand Prix, for example, is the result of Leclerc feeling frustrated. He wants to get back into title contention, and to do that he has to win Grand Prix. But he can’t, so he pushes harder than he should, and when that happens you can make a mistake.”

“In Ferrari, then, all year long they have been fast. Yet now they are 80 points behind Verstappen, whether it’s because of reliability problems, strategy problems or driver errors,” Ericsson added. Among other things, both Leclerc and Sainz often doubt the decisions the team makes at the race wall. There does not seem to be between Ferrari and its drivers the trust toward the team that is essential during a Formula 1 season.”

“Leclerc moreover will feel that he can still really fight for the title. I think he will really feel this opportunity. For him, though, it will be extremely tough. They have lost so many points, I don’t know if they will be able to recover as many,” concluded the former Sauber and Alfa Romeo driver.