Jean Todt: Charles Leclerc is 'missing something' but remains a potential Formula One champion
- Rob Fleming
- 27 September 2022
Former FIA president Jean Todt said Ferrari diver Charles Leclerc is a Formula 1 Champion in the making, but is "lacking something" that he needs to discover soon to make that dream happen.
Leclerc led the drivers' championship after the opening three races of the 2022 F1 season, but all that changed due to team blunder's, his own mistakes and some reliability issues.
As things now stand with six races remaining in the season, Leclerc sits second in the standings, 116 points behind leader Max Verstappen in his Red Bull.
Todt is very much regarded as a legend in F1, having been the Ferrari boss during its glory years (1993-2007) with driver Michael Schumacher, plus Rory Brown and Ross Brawn all know as 'Ferrari's Dream Team'.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Todt gave his thoughts on Leclerc, and said: "Charles is already a great champion but he is still missing something, which I hope he will have soon."
When asked to explain, Todt added: "There's something missing…"
The reasons for Leclerc struggles have been mixed during his F1 campaign. At the Italian and French GP's, he made mistakes, the reliability issues cost him in Spain and Azerbaijan then a number of poor team strategy decisions in Monaco, Great Britain and Hungary pretty much ended any hope of him claiming the championship.
The 76-year-old Todt said he had been impressed by Ferrari's early season form: "At one stage Ferrari had the best car in the championship. Then they lost some opportunities, I think strategy, a safety car that came in at the wrong time, I think reliability issues. Several episodes which came at a cost."
To fix the Ferrari issues, Todt advised: "Every era is different, I don't want to give advice. Giving advice is easy. The only thing I can say is to resist. Ferrari is doing very well; it seems to me that people are not fully aware of this. Ferrari is back to win.
"I think everyone… well, almost everyone, would like to see Ferrari win championships, not just a few races. We can hope for next year because this year I think it is no longer possible. But to win, they need excellence at all levels. It's hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain.
"It starts with excellence in detail. From the one who answers the phone in the company. If a business doesn't answer the phone after ten rings, it's not a good business. You can't make two identical mistakes, if it happens, something needs to be changed," Todt added.
