Charles Leclerc agrees with Ferrari boss to 'start equally' with Carlos Sainz at the start of 2023 campaign

Charles Leclerc is in agreement with Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur that the two drivers should start equally in the 2023 campaign. Speaking about Ferrari choosing sides between the two drivers and implementing a No.1 and No.2 structure, Fred Vassuer clarified that the team would not do that.

The team will treat both drivers equally and then if at any stage it becomes clear that one of the two drivers holds an advantage over the other, then the roles could change. Charles Leclerc, when questioned about the same, agreed with his boss and felt that it would be demotivating for either driver if that was not the case. He said:

“I totally agree. It’s important for Carlos and I to be fully motivated, and to push each other to do the best at the start. If at some point, one driver is clearly fighting for the championship..…then I’m sure the team will do everything possible to put that driver in the best shape. We’ll talk about that later, of course. At the start of the season, it’s the right thing to do.”

Charles Leclerc was quite positive about his first impressions of the car. He was the first driver to test the car and in his view, everything seems positive for now. He said:

"The car gave me good sensations on the simulator, but in any case there's a lot of difference with reality and it's difficult to say anything after just doing a couple of laps on the track. I didn't push so hard. It's difficult to give real feelings. but in my opinion we have taken the right path."

He added:

"We have worked a lot on our weaknesses identified last season and we have had excellent feedback on the simulator. But it is good to wait for the tests in Bahrain, when we will be able to ride on the track continuously to get a better idea precise of what the SF-23 can offer".

Charles Leclerc reveals one area where the team needed to improve

Talking about Ferrari, Charles Leclerc felt that the balance of the car was one area where the team was looking to make improvements. He said:

"Let's say that the balance of last season's car was rather open, in the way it went from slow to fast corners. I can't go into detail, but we worked mainly on this passage, i.e. from slow to fast corners, and the simulator now seems to be going well."

He added:

"We also concentrated on some developments designed specifically for the race. So now we have to wait and see how it goes in Bahrain, because it's difficult to give opinions from the simulator"

Charles Leclerc will be desperately hoping for a better all-around show for the team as the 2022 F1 season was quite frustrating because of far too many missed chances.