David Coulthard admits ‘brilliantly fast’ F1 driver was very unlucky during the 2023 season

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David Coulthard has admitted that he felt slightly sorry for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during the 2023 season after failing to secure a single victory.

Coulthard was speaking with Eddie Jordan on the Formula For Success Podcast.

The pair were discussing the Monegasque driver and a season that had plenty of potential but ultimately failed to live up to expectations.

It says a lot about how quick Charles Leclerc is that at the final race of the season, Martin Brundle suggested he might be as quick as Max Verstappen.

However, the difference in the machinery at their disposal is what made the difference this year.

Verstappen stood on the top step of the podium on 19 occasions, while Leclerc had to watch on without a win to his name.

It became an unfortunate trend that he would outpace the Dutchman in qualifying but fail to convert his pole positions into victories.

Even when he started on the front row his car failed him after he found the barriers on the way to the grid in Brazil.

Coulthard and Jordan admitted they’ve been impressed with Leclerc during 2023 and established that he’s a very quick driver.

However, circumstances seemed to always work against him, but Ferrari might have made one change this year that could really benefit him going forward.

Coulthard laments Leclerc’s bad luck in 2023

Speaking about the 26-year-old driver, Coulthard said: “I feel for Charles Leclerc, he’s brilliantly fast, great guy, didn’t manage to get a victory this year.

“He could have been in Vegas but in the end the safety car didn’t work out and Max [Verstappen] was brilliant in his comeback.

“I think Fred Vasseur has really established himself well as a racing principal and seems to be handling the pressure of Ferrari politics, so I really believe that they’ll be stronger next year.”

Eddie Jordan added: “I concur with Charles, I thought he stood up to the plate the last couple of races and in his starting position, the way he raced, he in his head is a very clever guy.

“We see quite a bit of him, he’s astute in terms of what’s achievable and what’s not achievable.”

Ferrari appear to agree with Coulthard’s assessment of Leclerc’s 2023 campaign and are now planning to offer him a long-term contract.

That might leave his teammate Carlos Sainz in a difficult position but Vasseur seems to know what he wants from his team right now.

Leclerc is capable of being a championship-winning driver, but it’s all going to come down to whether Ferrari can deliver a car that competes with Red Bull.

Lewis Hamilton and arguably even Lando Norris are in similar positions with Mercedes and McLaren.

If all four teams can get their act together, then we could have a serious shootout on our hands.