The worrying situation of the red in the drivers' and constructors' world championship sees three main factors as the triggers: reliability, strategy, and unfortunately, albeit in a less influential way, the driver's errors. La Team took the defense of its top driver Charles Leclerc, enhancing its merits and motivating it.
Goodbye world championship: now it's a mirage for Leclerc
When the points gap from the top was 49, it was already there difficult to imagine a comeback, despite only being halfway through the season. Now the points that separate the reigning champion Verstappen from the Monegasque are 80, an abominable gap that would scare even the least cautious optimist. Bridging such a gap would be miraculous, but according to what we have seen in this first part of the championship, with one Red Bull so on the ball and a Ferrari so fragile (not only in terms of reliability), the direction taken by the iris in 2022 seems clear.
The heavy boulder of error
The Maranello team had started this world championship on the right foot, scoring two victories in the first three rounds. However, to the arrival of sometimes less favorable conditions, and with the resurgence of the reliability of the RB18, something seems to have broken in the gear operated by Mattia binotto. The poor reliability has made its unpleasant entrance, revealing itself in Spain, Baku. While there strategy he messed up victories (or second places) that seemed written in Monaco, Silverstone e Hungary.
Leclerc's relationship with the limit
Unfortunately, Charles also contributed to Verstappen's rise in the standings. The points lost between Imola and France are 32, and the little prince, as usual, takes on more blame than he really has from a global perspective. The number 16's approach to the limit it's something unique: if other riders take their time to understand how far to go in each corner, getting there step by step, the Monegasque doesn't hesitate and challenges the limit immediately at the cost of taking a big risk, sometimes giving some spectacular pirouettes. This modus operandi is effective and allows the pilot to adapt in a short time (a well-known characteristic of Charles), but it requires such sensitivity that it is not a viable option for many pilots.
Charles is all here, extreme risk appetite, making fun of the last millimeter curve after curve. The approach can offer a lot, but the price to pay can sometimes be high.
Mekies' defense
Maranello's sporting director, in chorus with team principal Mattia Binotto, he defended Leclerc's style with all his might, calling the boy an exceptional driver: “This year too Leclerc has shown that he has such exceptional speed that it is an aspect that should not be touched. Charles doesn't need us to understand, as a great pilot, how far you have to go in terms of closeness to the limit. He is a master at this and mistakes can happen just as we make mistakes too. We don't look at the single mistake, but at the percentage of sensational performances from Charles, who was exceptional on many more occasions than when he made mistakes. And U.S we don't want anything to change".
SOURCE: FormulaPassion
