Charles Leclerc proved largely inseparable from Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz in 2023 as their car’s characteristics swung from favouring one to the other. But his form in the last two races moved him ahead in the championship.
His efforts in Las Vegas almost yielded victory, as the colder conditions and low track grip played to Ferrari’s sensibilities, and he flexed a lesser-seen tactical streak in Abu Dhabi to take on Mercedes in the constructors’ chase.
Sure, there were errors: Leclerc felt that the only way to get the best from the early-spec SF23 was to straddle the car’s absolute limits. But pole in three of the last five races continued to demonstrate his single-lap effectiveness.
"Why am I so unlucky?", Leclerc mourned over the radio on the Brazilian Grand Prix's formation lap, as his car went straight into the Turn 6 barrier. An electronics failure was understood to be the root cause, which switched the hydraulics off and knocked out the power steering, causing Leclerc the ignominy of a DNS on the final classification.
Although Leclerc matched Fernando Alonso in the final points standings, he was beaten to fourth on countback thanks to Alonso's greater collection of third places. Things could have been a lot better had Leclerc not been suffused by the spectre of bad luck over 2023, which had affected the very first race of the season.
Source: Autosport