26-year-old F1 driver will be seriously disappointed with 2023 season

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is unlikely to look back on the 2023 Formula 1 season with too much joy.

Commentator and pundit Davide Valsecchi has suggested that the Monegasque has been a victim of a poor season for the Prancing Horse.

Although both championships are wrapped up this year, there are still teams with plenty to play for in the final two Grand Prix.

Teams are delving into the unknown this weekend in Las Vegas and although that might level the playing field slightly, it would still be a surprise if a Red Bull driver wasn’t standing on the top step of the podium.

Ferrari have been the best of the rest at plenty of tracks this year, but have failed to convert their performances in qualifying and the races themselves into massive points hauls.

Their in-race strategy has been questioned for some time and in an age where F1 cars rarely break down, they seem to have plenty of bad luck compared to their rivals.

Charles Leclerc in particular has suffered as a result and will want to put the 2023 season behind him.

Even when he’s put in a fantastic performance on a Saturday, he’s typically been let down by the car or his team on a Sunday.

That was epitomised in Brazil when his car failed on the way to the grid and he couldn’t capitalise on a fantastic performance in qualifying that would have seen him starting on the front row of the grid.

Leclerc has had difficult season in 2023

Speaking about the 26-year-old’s fortunes and Ferrari’s year in general, Valsecchi said: “It’s hard to be optimistic now. I’m struggling to see a positive aspect of Ferrari this year other than their one-lap speed.

“If you can be the best in qualifying some races you can win them: they were good in Singapore, in Monte Carlo, they could have been close, but apart from that they didn’t have a season to remember.

“After Monza and Singapore, I was very optimistic, but then there weren’t many steps forward compared to the competition.”

“He [Charles Leclerc] didn’t have an exceptional season, and in the races where he was making a difference, like in Brazil, he was the victim of technical problems.”

Leclerc is currently seventh in the driver’s standings despite putting his car on pole on four occasions.

He’s been unable to convert any of those into race wins which will be incredibly frustrating.

Leclerc’s three retirements in 2023 are more than any of the drivers above him in the standings this season.

That’s an issue he and Ferrari need to work on going into next year if they’re going to consistently challenge Red Bull on race day.