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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc revealed that he disciplined himself in several ways to be able to edge out his teammate and perform better in the 2022 F1 season. The Monegasque admitted making routine changes that made him less fatigued by the end of the season compared to 2021.
Speaking to Auto motor und Sport, Leclerc said:
"I changed a few things. The way I work, how I discipline myself at home. That was a bit of a freestyle last year. Whenever I was at home, I was doing many different things. To be honest, I was very tired in 2021 from mid-season to the end. That influenced me and affected my performance. It's also possible that this car suits me better."
He continued:
"We had a great winter test, and we tried a lot of things there. We put a lot of focus on how I can drive the car, and that helped that I started the season at a high level. I could focus on the details."
Charles Leclerc believes that making routine changes and disciplining himself at home made him focus better on the 2022 season and it reflected in his performance. The 25-year-old driver revealed he was fatigued in the second half of the 2021 season and the positive winter test and competitive car boosted him further to perform better this year.
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari need to improve their race performance
While Ferrari had the competitive car and tools to fight for the championship in 2022, Charles Leclerc believes they were unable to convert it into results on a Sunday. The Monegasque believes they did have the complete package to win more races and contest the title better but were not able to execute race days well.
When it comes to their short falls to their rivals in performance, the Ferrari driver revealed that initially Red Bull were competitive in straight line speed, but further into the season they improved their cornering performance which gave them an edge over everyone.
Asked about where their team lacked against Red Bull, Charles Leclerc said:
"They are really strong on the straights. At the beginning of the season we were able to make up for the deficit because we were quicker in the corners. Then they took a step in the corners and were simply faster than us overall."
Leclerc further said:
"But again, I don't think the biggest problem was tyre wear. We need to work on improving our execution on race Sundays. If I look at the whole season, I think we had the performance to fight for the title. We didn't do it."
Despite being a competitive package, Ferrari were only able to win four races in 2022 while Red Bull swept the calendar with 17 wins. The Maranello-based team's weakness was definitely their strategy and reliability, which cost them valuable points.
The Prancing Horse were just about able to retain their place in the constructors championship and were trailed closely by Mercedes, who finished 39 points behind them, despite a very difficult season. Charles Leclerc managed to finish in the runners-up spot in the drivers' championship, but was trailed closely by Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
