Jolyon Palmer says Fred Vasseur would look like a ‘hero’ right now if Charles Leclerc hadn’t let him down

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Charles Leclerc has experienced one of his quietest Formula 1 seasons to date, but continues to lead Ferrari’s charge.

The arrival of Lewis Hamilton doesn’t appear to have affected him, but the car’s performance took a turn at a bad time. They’ve slid down the pecking order in the constructors’ championship.

Leclerc has spent seven seasons with the Scuderia and will be hoping that the 2026 F1 regulations provide a reset.

Ferrari’s bold winter decision to change the philosophy of their car backfired, but it may already be time to abandon this year’s project. Being competitive from the get-go next season will be vital.

Leclerc is taking action at Ferrari and is offering himself to the team for more tests in the future. It could give him the extra little advantage needed to beat his rivals.

After a chat over the radio, David Coulthard loved an ‘assertive’ Ferrari change with Leclerc at the last race during a discussion about strategy. It’s a change from previous interactions.

READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve shares his big concern about Charles Leclerc after Ferrari strategy dispute at Canadian Grand Prix

Jolyon Palmer says Fred Vasseur would be a ‘hero’ if Charles Leclerc hadn’t let him down

It’s the job of team boss Fred Vasseur to keep his driver satisfied with the direction of both the car and the team.

In Canada, Leclerc missed virtually all of Friday practice and still found a way to be competitive for the rest of the weekend. Without crashing in FP1, he might have been able to win on Sunday.

It was impressive, but their lack of trophies has created frustration and resulted in some calls for the removal of Vasseur. Ex-Renault driver Jolyon Palmer doesn’t understand why and thinks that Leclerc winning would have changed everything.

“It doesn’t make any sense, though. To me, it makes no sense that Fred is under this pressure suddenly. Let’s not forget, Charles didn’t really do any Friday practice in Canada,” he told the F1 Nation podcast.

“He still had a good chance to put it on pole, in spite of doing no laps on Friday. The car had potential in Canada, but then he was also really unlucky, catching the dirty air from Isack Hadjar in qualifying. That would’ve transformed his whole weekend. Even with no Friday practice.

“If he had a normal Friday, Fred will be looking at a version of events in Canada where they were winning the race, he’s a hero, coming out from the pressure of the media on Thursday. Everything just went wrong, including the groundhog for Hamilton in the other car.”

READ MORE: Nico Rosberg reveals what Charles Leclerc has told him about under-pressure Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur

How long is Charles Leclerc under contract with Ferrari for?

Leclerc signed a new Ferrari deal in January 2024, which extended his tenure by five more years until the end of 2029.

He’s paid well, but he’s after championships and so far, his confidence in his team hasn’t waned. He still thinks they can deliver.

Leclerc will be alarmed by Hamilton’s Ferrari data after it suggested that the team were slower than both Williams cars during FP2 in Montreal.

The upcoming race in Austria should suit their car a little more, but they’re not expected to be contending for victory on Sunday. McLaren are too quick.