Charles Leclerc 'honestly feels' Fred Vasseur can take Ferrari back to the top

Charles Leclerc has faith in his new team boss Fred Vasseur, claiming the Frenchman can take Ferrari back to the top of the sport. The former Sauber man was brought in at the end of 2022 after Mattia Binotto was let go from the team.

Vasseur's Ferrari failed to get the dream start it desired at the beginning of the year. The team's 2023 challenger, the SF23, is struggling compared to Red Bull's RB19, which is the clear class of the field so far.

However, the Scuderia managed to score its first podium of the year after Charles Leclerc held off a charging Fernando Alonso in Baku.

Leclerc believes Vasseur is the right man to take Ferrari back to the top. And while he doesn't want to compare him to past team boss Jean Todt, the Monegasque has complete faith in the Frenchman.

Speaking to AS.com, Charles Leclerc said:

"I don't want to compare Fréd with Jean Todt, or me with Michael Schumacher, because it wouldn't be correct. But that's what we want to achieve with Fréd. Do I think that with Fréd I will be able to win a World Cup? I sincerely feel that he is the right person to bring Ferrari back to front."

---

Charles Leclerc was the reason behind Ferrari's impressive performance in Baku, claims pundit

F1 pundit Scott-Mitchell Malm credits Leclerc for Ferrari's outstanding performance at the Azerbaijan GP. The Monegasque driver secured two pole positions and two podiums during the first Sprint weekend of the season, demonstrating his exceptional ability on the street circuit.

Despite finishing 20 seconds behind the Red Bull duo in the main race on Sunday, there were still several promising takeaways for the Italian team. Leclerc exhibited better tire management skills and showcased impressive pace throughout the race.

While appearing on The Race podcast, Mitchell-Malm said:

"The biggest difference was Charles Leclerc. It's the Leclerc magic around a street track and one like this. Mark wrote a terrific piece about Leclerc's qualifying performance on Friday and it was brilliant. I haven't seen Leclerc's onboard lap but I've seen so many Charles Leclerc onboard and I remember reading and I could basically visualize it."

He continued:

"The bit that crystalized the most was when he got to the penultimate two corners and riding the sheer wave of confidence and tipping the car in, just letting it run and not having to think about it at all, that's peak Charles, especially on a street track."

With Ferrari having opened their podium account in Baku, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the Maranello-based outfit in the times to come.