"We knew he was capable of this" - Charles Leclerc has displayed championship-fighting abilities, feels Ferrari

Charles Leclerc has gotten off to an incredible start in the 2022 season, having taken his first race win of the year in the season opener in Bahrain. The Monegasque is currently leading the drivers' standings by a significant margin ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz.

As reported by GPFans, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto claimed that he knew Leclerc was capable of fighting for championships before the massive contract extension until 2024. The Italian said:

“I think he has, but something which I was expecting when we renewed with him last year until 2024 because we knew he was capable of this. I think he is demonstrating he is capable of fighting for the championship so no doubt he has got the talent, he has got the capacity. He is a very good racer and very happy with what he is proving in two races.”

The Monegasque has been pegged as world champion material ever since he made his debut in Formula 2 and then in F1 with Alfa Romeo Sauber.

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Charles Leclerc claims he has not yet unlocked the potential of his 2022 challenger

Ferrari is finally leading the championship standings after several years of struggling to make it to the top of the midfield and Charles Leclerc is at the forefront of this success.

As reported by Motorsport Week, he claimed there are significant improvements to be expected from the Prancing Horse this year. Leclerc said:

“I’m quite happy with this start of the season for sure, working well with the team and the preparation for the first race was very good. I feel good in general but there’s definitely more to come. The thing I’m happy about is not really the performance but I know exactly where I still need to work and where/what I need to improve to unlock more performance.”

Ferrari is hoping to retain its place at the top and maintain the necessary developments throughout the season.