Charles Leclerc says he is a “better driver” in several ways as a result of Ferrari’s problematic 2020.
After two wins and seven poles in his first year in red last season, this season the Monegasque has found himself predominantly back in the midfield in the uncompetitive SF1000.
Even so, Leclerc has been making the best of a bad situation with two podiums earlier in the year and he currently sits fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, 10 points behind fourth-placed Daniel Ricciardo.
“I think it has made me a better driver for sure,” he said via Crash.net ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix.
“As in difficult times I found my determination in other ways, focusing on myself, trying to improve even though it is not to fight for podiums or wins, we are fighting for lower positions, but at the end, it matters as much for me.
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“Then in terms of patience, I don’t think I was a very patient guy in the past but now I have to be in the situation I am in now, and I feel like I’ve improved on that too.
“Yeah, sure I’m a stronger driver than where I was at the beginning of the season. If it is because of the situation we are in at the moment I’m not sure, but my approach didn’t really change, at the end I always try to analyse my weak points and to improve on those ones.”
As well as personal improvements, Leclerc also noted how his relationship with Ferrari has changed during the past year.
“I think it is in the toughest moments you get even closer with the people that are working with you and I think this is exactly what is happening,” he added.
“We are trying to help the team as much as possible to come back to where we want to be and I think this is creating some strong links for me and the future with the team. This is good and I hope this difficult situation will be as short as possible.”
How short will Ferrari’s slump be? Well, Leclerc certainly isn’t raising his hopes for 2021.
“I think it will be difficult to fight for the title next year,” he told Sky Sports.
“I hope in the shortest period possible I can help the team reach our goals which is to fight for the championship again, but realistically, next year I don’t think we’ll be fighting for the title yet. I do believe we’ll take a step forward, which is the most important thing.
“We need to focus on ourselves, no miracles happen in Formula 1. Mercedes has had huge success in the past years and this year, and I’m sure that they will be very quick next year too. Now, it’s our job to catch up.”