F1, it’s back to Spa: Ferrari and Charles Leclerc at a crossroads

Leclerc wants to replicate what he did in 2019, but obstacles are many

The summer break is drawing to a close and Formula 1 is ready to resume the 2022 season with one of the traditional events on the rainbow calendar, the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

It will be a crucial race for Ferrari and for Charles Leclerc in particular: the latter, in 2019, won pole position and overall victory, a result he would like to replicate next weekend despite the sword of Damocles of penalty hovering over him, which would be confirmed in case of further power-unit change.

Not starting at the front would be no small disadvantage, given the results of recent years: six of the last seven Belgian GP winners have started on pole, while the 2018 winner – Sebastian Vettel, then at the wheel of Ferrari – did not start in front of everyone but still on the front row.

The Redhead, however, is not only aiming to make up points on Red Bull, but also to maintain a winning tradition at the Spa circuit: as many as 18, in fact, are the victories of a Ferrari driver in Belgium, 13 the pole positions, 19 the fastest laps and even 48 drivers have been on the podium. No team has managed to do better in history: however, it will take the best Leclerc, combined with a step forward from the point of view of race strategies compared to recent outings, to win a success that would be crucial to reopen the World Championship.