Leclerc 'Moving Towards Maturity' That Verstappen And Hamilton Already Have

Sunday, 10 December 2023 at 23:00

Charles Leclerc has recently been rumored to have signed a new contract with Scuderia Ferrari, and its former sporting director Cesare Fiorio believes "it’s a good move."

Charles Leclerc just finished his fifth season in Ferrari, and the team seems to be happy with his performance rumors recently suggested he might get a five-year contract extension with the team.

The Monegasque driver managed to achieve great success with the team, including multiple wins, pole positions, and a runner-up spot in the Championship, but he is still missing the Drivers' and Constructors' titles.

While some currently better-performing teams might be interested in Leclerc, he told the media he wants to "finish the mission" with Ferrari.

Leclerc has been credited by multiple experts as the fastest driver on the grid in terms of raw pace, but he still makes a mistake here and there that results in the crash, which is not something a Driver competing for the title could afford.

Read also

'Talks Always Happen': Villeneuve Reacts To Recent Hamilton Horner Feud

On the other hand, former Scuderia Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio sees progress from the 26-year-old and believes it is a good move for Ferrari to keep him.

"I think it’s a good move, because he’s adding to his speed and skill the ability to limit the number of errors. Until recently he made too many of them. However, that was normal."

Fiorio compared Leclerc to the current World Champion Max Verstappen who just finished one of the most flawless and consistent seasons Formula One has ever seen.

"Verstappen is his age, but he too made mistakes in his early years a lot. Now, Leclerc is moving towards that maturity that Max already has and that Lewis Hamilton also has.

The former sporting director suggested both Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz made too many mistakes in 2023. However, he sees the positives in both drivers.

"They made a few too many mistakes. But they are both very fast. One, Leclerc, better in qualifying, faster than his team-mate, even if we’re talking about tenths, not half a second. The other, Sainz, overall more skilled as race management."