'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABxAAAQIFBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFBhESISIxExZCAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEQACAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABEIREhNhwf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Al9t2RfEzJ0to19hlEy0nU8kOLdDbOR9EAnB4joRb/TaUrk9N1Fx07uL8qU6lHs407ZhCDWWRWcBsvBT3CIY7Y7RrxHrNq//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
F1 pundit Harry Benjamin has put Charles Leclerc's performances this season under the scanner.
The Ferrari driver had a disappointing outing in Miami where he crashed twice during the weekend and finished the race in only P7. After the race, in the BBC race review podcast, questions were raised over the kind of driving that has been on display by the Ferrari driver.
In the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, Benjamin questioned if Charles Leclerc had lost his mojo a little bit with the kind of crashes that he's been having. He said:
“It’s fair to say it was below par, below expectation, for not just everybody outside of the Ferrari garage but also within it. Leclerc – I don’t know whether it was compounded by the lack of being able to get through Magnussen, he was just a bit stuck. Maybe he was being a little bit more cautious, has he lost his mojo slightly a little bit?"
He added:
“Baku was brilliant but, overall this year, it’s not gone his way. It’s not all been his problem but this is not the first time, and it probably won’t be the last time we have this discussion on Leclerc, who bins it in qualifying or crashes out of the lead of a race once he is out in front but then suddenly is in the wall. You won’t be too surprised to hear that and that’s the issue."
Charles Leclerc is win or bin!
Alluding to Charles Leclerc's multiple crashes this season, Benjamin felt that the Ferrari driver's win-it-or-bin-it attitude can work against him more often than not. He said:
“Leclerc is win or bin, and you can’t be like that. You can be the best Formula 1 driver ever but, if you keep binning it, you’re not gonna get your championship wins.”
The criticism levied on Charles Leclerc seems justified at the moment. The Ferrari driver has had not one but two crashes that severely impacted his weekend. The first was in Melbourne where he was punted out at the start of the race. The second one is arguably more disappointing.
His twin crashes in Miami were somewhat disappointing because they came after Baku, a race where he out-qualified both Red Bull.
Leclerc is one of the fastest drivers over a single lap in F1. However, just like Max Verstappen, a driver who has adapted and modified his approach as the years have gone on, Charles needs to do the same.
