"An absolute monster"- Charles Leclerc drove with 'impressive conviction' and 'extreme confidence' at the 2022 British GP despite 'not winning the points he deserved,' feels former F1 driver

Former Ferrari F1 driver Jean Alesi has heaped praise on Charles Leclerc for his “monstrous” performance at last weekend’s British GP.

Alesi believes that the Monegasque showed “impressive conviction” with his on-track battles late in the race despite having a damaged front wing and being on the hard tires. In his column for Corriere della Sera, Alesi wrote:

“Rarely have I seen drivers capable of doing what Charles did. A monstrous race, complete with an outside overtake on [Lewis] Hamilton at Copse, using hard, less performing tyres, after a point of banned attacks with equal conditions.”

He added:

“An overtake worth a season. I would have given anything for something like that. Yet, he thought of it and did it. He drove with impressive conviction and that means possessing an attitude of extreme confidence.”

Charles Leclerc lost out on a potential victory at the British GP after Ferrari left him out on old hard tires during a late safety car intervention. Despite relentless attacks from the drivers behind him, he fought hard to stay in the podium positions but could only salvage P4 in the end.

Alesi felt that Leclerc deserved more points than he ultimately took home given his performance, but conceded that the experience probably made him a better driver. He wrote:

“Leclerc has gained in terms of popularity and awareness, despite not winning the points he deserved. He will excite us again also thanks to the car he drives: a winning Ferrari.”

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Charles Leclerc dismisses reports suggesting tension in Ferrari following the British GP

Charles Leclerc has dismissed recent reports which suggested that there was tension brewing between the Monegasque and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto following the British GP.

Leclerc claimed that the team is “very united” and that a few difficult races won’t change that. Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of the 2022 Austria GP, he said:

“It is a shame to see all of this type of things. It is definitely not what is happening inside the team. We are a very united team; we’ve always been and it’s not these difficult races that will make it change.”

These reports followed after Charles Leclerc was frustrated with Ferrari’s decision to not pit him for fresh tires during the safety car period at the British GP, which ultimately cost him a potential victory. Following the race, Leclerc and the Scuderia’s team boss Mattia Binotto were seen to be having a seemingly heated exchange.

While Leclerc has refuted claims of tension in the team, it will be interesting to see how things unfold at Ferrari as the season progresses.