Ferrari’s junior prodigy Charles Leclerc has revealed some fans who watched him race in Formula 1 at Monaco for the first time were confused by his lack of competitiveness.
Having won GP3 and F2 at his first attempt the past two years, the Monegasque is having to almost start from the bottom in the premier motorsport series with a Sauber team that finished bottom of the Constructors’ Championship last year.
However, unaware of how divided the F1 grid is with the top three teams and the rest, to see Charles struggling outside the top 10 wasn’t what they were expecting.
“A lot of people were pushing me and that was great,” Leclerc told RaceFans. “But I also realised a lot of people were following F1 for the first time and they didn’t really get that at the moment I cannot win the races for now.
“So people were like ‘oh, you are P14 in quali, you should be pole’. Then it’s difficult to explain because for the people who are not properly into the sport they can’t really understand.
“They pushed me and I had massive support so that was great. But you realise that people that are not watching F1 are not really understanding that there’s a lot more than only the driver and that the car [makes] a big difference.”
The 20-year-old has made an impact in his rookie season, scoring points in Baku and Barcelona before brake failure ultimately saw him crash out in Monte Carlo.
In the build-up to becoming the first driver from the Principality to race since 1994 though, several big names including Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg hailed him as the future star to watch.
“It feels amazing to have these four drivers speak of me that way, saying positive things, is crazy. It’s always very special to hear these positive things,” he told Motorsport.com
“On the other hand I try to not listen to it too much, focus on the job. I still have a lot I can improve on.
“When I’m out of the car, I have very big respect for them and it’s an honour to hear that. When I’m in the car, when I have the helmet on, I don’t think about anyone. These things disappear and the drivers that are there are just any drivers.”