Ferrari, Leclerc takes back the spotlight
A triumph to chase away ghosts, fend off criticism, and reclaim Ferrari. At Silverstone, Charles Leclerc finally found victory again, ending a winless streak that lasted since the 2024 United States Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver managed to climb back to the top step of the podium after a hard-fought race, in which (for once) luck was also on his side due to a technical problem for a Kimi Antonelli who was chasing the Ferrari driver.
Read more Vasseur: “Leclerc has never worried me. He lacked results, not performance”
Leclerc has put behind a very difficult period, as he himself admitted on the team radio after the checkered flag, but he has raised his head. And he was able to do so also thanks to the trust of Frederic Vasseur, who never stopped believing in him despite the recent disappointing results and mistakes uncharacteristic of Leclerc.
Vasseur’s words
“I have never agreed with all the questions asked about him throughout the weekend. For us, in light of the data, the situation was not negative. What was difficult for him was the lack of points and results: he had a reliability issue in Barcelona, a bad start in the Silverstone Sprint, he felt like he was losing a bit of rhythm; but in terms of performance, I was never worried, because the data showed that Charles was there,” commented the Frenchman.
Read more O’Ward ends experience as McLaren third driver: “I am happy in IndyCar”
“He understood that every setup change does not necessarily translate into a lap time gain, but can give him the confidence needed to attack more,” he added. “It is crucial in a race like Silverstone, where he was very consistent throughout the GP. If you look at the first 20 laps, he was running with a gap of one or two tenths between laps; this played a key role for us.”
