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Ferrari are facing a delicate challenge with Charles Leclerc as the Monegasque endures one of the most demanding stretches of his time in red. Since his most recent podium in Japan, Leclerc’s Grand Prix results have read eighth, fourth, DNF and DNF — a sequence that has sharpened scrutiny around both his execution and his state of mind.
The concern is not outright pace. Leclerc has continued to show speed comparable to Lewis Hamilton in recent races, but the errors have become impossible to ignore. Across four consecutive weekends, he has found the barriers four times: twice in qualifying, in Monaco and Barcelona, and twice in races, in Miami and Monaco again.
Even his fourth place in Canada offered little comfort. Leclerc described that event as the worst weekend of his career, with the gap to second-placed Hamilton leaving a significant mark.
Leclerc’s reaction after crashing out of Q3 in Barcelona underlined the emotional weight of the situation. He said he felt ‘very ashamed’ and admitted ‘it must be tough’ for his fans to keep supporting him. Those remarks prompted F1 press conference host Tom Clarkson to ask Ferrari how they were handling the driver’s increasingly severe self-assessment.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Clarkson said: “I really struggle to hear Leclerc talking about feeling ashamed of his crash. He’s so hard on himself.”
He added: “I actually mentioned it to the guys at Ferrari after qualifying. I said, ‘Do you advise him to stop being so hard on himself?’ They said, ‘Yes, and the more we tell him to stop doing that, the harder he gets on himself.’”
That response captures Ferrari’s dilemma. The team value Leclerc’s standards and trust his ability, but there is a clear sense that his self-criticism is becoming counterproductive rather than corrective. For wider context on the pressure created by Hamilton’s form, read our analysis as David Coulthard backed Leclerc amid Hamilton’s growing Ferrari momentum.
Ferrari do not expect Leclerc’s slump to continue indefinitely. Internally, they would rather manage a driver low on confidence than one lacking speed. Yet the standings are beginning to apply pressure of their own.
Leclerc trails the in-form Hamilton by 40 points, and if that gap is not reduced significantly over the next few races, calls for Ferrari to consider team orders will only grow louder. That would put Fred Vasseur in a difficult position: protect Leclerc’s recovery, or prioritise the team’s chances of beating Mercedes.
For now, Ferrari’s task is clear. They must help Leclerc reset without dulling the edge that has long made him one of their central competitive weapons.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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