The curious case of Ferrari star Charles Leclerc and his future with the Maranello team

Charles Leclerc is currently experiencing all the horrors the sport can throw at him, with two DNFs in the first three races of the season. With the Monegasque seemingly trapped in Ferrari's web of bad luck, the path ahead seems bleak.

It's currently one dismal race after another for the Scuderia driver, who was the early championship protagonist last year. This time around, his team seems to be nowhere compared to the frontrunners Red Bull, who have won all three races so far.

Ferrari's Golden Boy will have to fight through this turbulent period if he wants to remain its top driver. The 25-year-old has so far failed to impress in 2023, with the team having failed to provide him with a suitable platform. His challenger, the SF23, suffers from high tire degradation compared to Red Bull, putting him on the back foot against his 2022 rival Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc will have to fight especially hard if he wants to remain Ferrari's point of reference, with his teammate Carlos Sainz currently leading him in the drivers' standings. However, it must be noted that Sainz too has failed to make heads turn in 2023, given the team's woeful shape.

It is also to be noted that Max Verstappen suffered the exact same fate as Leclerc did at the beginning of the 2022 season - with two DNFs in three races.

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Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari's deficit to frontrunners

Charles Leclerc emphasized the need for his team to make a significant effort to unlock more performance and speed in their SF-23 car for the 2023 season.

At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Leclerc started the race from the twelfth position but had a good start, climbing into the top ten after a few laps. However, his progress was disrupted by the safety car that appeared during the middle of the race, allowing Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to overtake him.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Leclerc revealed that he remained stuck behind his teammate Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the race and lacked pace. He said:

"I don’t know if they were out of reach. The thing is that once I got within a second and a half to Carlos, it was very difficult to get any closer than that – the pace difference wasn’t big enough. I did a small mistake when I was within DRS, and then when I lost it, then that was it.

"I just stayed there. So it’s like this. Honestly, I don’t think there was much more anyway in the car today. We just need to work to find some pace."

It will be interesting to see if Charles Leclerc and the Scuderia can make a comeback in time to come.