The Canadian Grand Prix should function a type of affirmation for Ferrari. The Maranello staff is coming off two consecutive podiums, achieved due to the standard expertise of Charles Leclerc and likewise a little bit of luck as a result of Security Automobile on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The Monegasque driver has by no means had an awesome relationship with Girl Luck, objectively talking, so it’s honest sufficient that he often advantages from some surprising assist.
In Montreal, the place the paddock is already buzzing for the race weekend, there are a number of very attention-grabbing matters circulating. Nearly all of them, in truth, concern the Italian staff, significantly the temper of the 2 drivers and the way forward for Frederic Vasseur, the staff principal whose contract expires on the finish of this season. In current days, varied kind of dependable rumors have advised that he’ll go away Maranello on the finish of the 2025 System 1 championship.
Admittedly, the present season has not been successful up to now: over the winter, partly due to the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, there was speak of world titles, of an SF-25 single-seater able to combating McLaren for the championship. Then, on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, as sadly has typically been the case for almost twenty years, got here the icy chilly bathe for the Ferrari followers and everybody at Maranello.
Charles Leclerc’s final two performances have sparked a glimmer of hope: the SF-25, in response to the constructors’ standings, has general been the second-best automotive in F1 after the primary 9 races. And if the numbers don’t lie, we should additionally say that the factors hole to McLaren, the undisputed chief, is 197. An infinite and sure insurmountable distance, as a result of we aren’t right here to feed anybody false hopes — others maintain that with the standard recycled proclamations.
Returning to the extra urgent issues, Ferrari is in a tough second: this isn’t information, but it surely appeared that the Frederic Vasseur method was working — till actuality struck once more on this first a part of the 2025 System 1 marketing campaign. Nonetheless, not like what we noticed on the finish of Mattia Binotto’s tenure in 2022, the sensation now could be that the assorted members of the staff try to rally round their staff principal.
However it isn’t solely Frederic Vasseur who’s on the heart of paddock rumors: some stories counsel that Charles Leclerc himself is bored with not successful something with Ferrari, and his unconditional love — which has objectively by no means been in query — appears to be wavering. That will be comprehensible, since a driver of his expertise retains having to swallow bitter capsules, having had, in virtually seven years, solely a handful of Grands Prix with a automotive worthy of F1.
Charles Leclerc doesn’t need to hear any of it, and when requested in regards to the matter, as extensively anticipated, he reiterated the factors expressed earlier. The Monegasque made it clear that he wouldn’t touch upon rumors or hypothesis concerning presents or related issues. He emphasised that the one certainty was his love for Ferrari and said that, no matter what the longer term would possibly maintain, his objective remained to win with the staff in purple. The 27-year-old expressed his need to convey Ferrari again to the highest and affirmed that he would give every little thing he needed to make it occur with himself behind the wheel.
This situation is inevitably linked to the Frederic Vasseur state of affairs. Right here too, the Monegasque speaks as a staff participant, as a frontrunner, and firmly dismisses the current rumors, particularly since there’s an necessary weekend to organize for — one which should affirm the “good” issues seen just lately.
Charles Leclerc famous that there have been rumors about Frederic Vasseur which the staff consciously selected to disregard. He confused that their focus wanted to stay on what really mattered: efficiency on the observe. In accordance with him, solely outcomes may silence sure rumors within the quick time period. The Monegasque driver added that he had nothing additional to say, reiterating his full confidence within the staff and highlighting that the French supervisor had all the time believed in him, simply as he believed in Fred Vasseur. Charles Leclerc concluded by stating that the Ferrari staff boss had every little thing wanted to convey the Italian aspect again to the highest, and expressed hope that they might obtain that objective collectively.