CHarles Leclerc is standing in the paddock of the Hungaroring and has to laugh when he hears himself say: “If we win all the races and Max (Verstappen, editor’s note) always comes second, then we can still be world champions.” The Ferrari -Pilot is in a good mood, the supposed hopelessness of his title mission seems to have relieved the Monegasque of the pressure in the championship fight, which recently drove him into a momentous mistake.
At the French Grand Prix last weekend, Leclerc snorted twelve times on the pit radio on the 18th lap, loudly and violently, furious with anger. Then a scream, he broke out: “Noooooo!” With his Ferrari F1-75 he had slid into the tire wall – on a dry track, unchallenged, leading the race. Simply lost control.
With this mishap, he significantly reduced his chances of winning the World Cup. A “very, very ambitious goal” is to still win the championship, the Monegasque admits before the Hungarian Grand Prix this Sunday (3 p.m., in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1 and on Sky).
Huge backlog
There are still ten races to go. The 13th round of the World Championship in Mogyoród, located half an hour’s drive from Budapest, is the last performance before the Formula 1 protagonists fill up for four weeks for the hot autumn. Charles Leclerc is second in the standings, 63 points behind Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
So far, no one has managed to catch up on such an immense gap. World champion Verstappen has collected 108 points in the past five races. Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz combined to 115. Things are looking bad for Ferrari. Or?
Hungary is Ferrari
In Hungary, the Scuderia can hope for a successful weekend. The Hungaroring is twisty, narrow and bumpy. The F1-75 also generates the most downforce needed to be successful at one of the slowest circuits of the year. The few short straights deprive Max Verstappen of the opportunity to exploit the superior top speed of his RB18.
The World Champion adamantly reiterated in Budapest that the battle for the title is not over yet, cleverly increasing the pressure on the opposition by declaring Ferrari “almost unbeatable” over a fast lap. In qualifying this Saturday, Leclerc and Sainz are the hottest contenders for pole position. However, forecast thunderstorms could make a lottery out of the hunt for times and have a massive impact on the race, because it is difficult to overtake at the Hungaroring. A good starting position is particularly valuable.
While still in France, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto announced the goal of achieving a double success in Budapest. And he can’t think of any reason why the Reds shouldn’t win all the remaining races. In vain did you look for a clue in his face that would have suggested a joke. The defiant words result in an enormous drop. In Hungary, Ferrari has to save himself on vacation with a sense of achievement.
After that, two things will decide whether Charles Leclerc can come close to Max Verstappen again later in the season. The Scuderia must stop blundering. If this succeeds, they have to hope in Maranello that the previously flawless Verstappen starts to slip up, is let down by the company car or cleared by an opponent. A lot if, a lot but. Leclerc leaves no doubt about his fighting spirit when his laughter disappears: “I will believe in my chance to the end.”
