Charles Leclerc’s nickname sums up why his career has gone wrong at Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc was famously dubbed ‘Il Predestinato’ at the start of his Formula 1 career.

Literally translating to ‘The Predestined’ but closer to ‘The Chosen One’ in meaning, it was coined by Sky Italia commentator Carlo Vanzini during Leclerc’s rookie season. It featured in his iconic, viral monologue when the Ferrari driver won at Monza in 2019.

The inspiration for Leclerc’s nickname came from an interview when he was 15. He apparently told Vanzini that he would ‘never’ let his teammate beat him to a world title.

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Did Charles Leclerc believe the ‘chosen one’ hype at Ferrari?

This year, there’s a chance that Lewis Hamilton proves Leclerc wrong. The British driver closed the gap on championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 41 points by winning the Barcelona Grand Prix.

Leclerc is 40 further back, effectively putting him out of realistic title contention, even if he manages to reel Hamilton in over the next few races.

Ever since Leclerc joined Ferrari, there has been an underlying sense that he is indeed the ‘chosen one’. He effectively drove Sebastian Vettel out of the team during an immense debut season, and it felt inevitable that Carlos Sainz would be the one to make way when Hamilton joined.

Academy graduate Leclerc is supposed to be the driver who ends Ferrari’s title drought. They haven’t had a drivers’ champion since Kimi Raikkonen, his predecessor, in 2007.

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Given that Ferrari have just extended Leclerc’s contract into the 2030s, it’s clear that the mutual confidence in that outcome is still strong.

But it feels as if Leclerc has been waiting for his supposed destiny to materialise. He will turn 29 in October and reach 200 F1 starts early next year, so he certainly shouldn’t be considered a young driver anymore.

Only once this century has a driver won their first title after their 30th birthday, which now looks like the earliest possible timeframe for Leclerc.

The Monegasque has the talent to win a championship, but questions remain over whether he has the mentality. He has never fully shaken his reputation as a driver who makes mistakes at the highest-pressure moments, and the events of recent races demonstrate why.

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More importantly, Leclerc still doesn’t come across as a leader at Ferrari. All the talk recently has been about the changes Hamilton has inspired since his arrival, but where has this been from his teammate over the last eight seasons?

Perhaps it’s a question of publicity – after all, these conversations take place behind-the-scenes – but the fact remains that Ferrari have largely been stagnant during the Leclerc years.

There’s little indication that he has been exerting significant internal pressure, unlike great champions Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton. He must be willing to risk a backlash, especially in the knowledge that his seat is secure.

Leclerc was heralded as Ferrari’s predestined champion and perhaps, deep in his subconscious, he subscribed to that narrative too. He is undoubtedly a great driver but if he still wants to become a true icon, he must realise that he can’t simply wait for a title shot to fall into his lap.