Charles Leclerc says he never lost confidence in Ferrari during the team's lean period but the Monegasque hopes that his days of being patient are over.
Leclerc enjoyed a strong first season with the Scuderia in 2019, nearly winning his second race with the Italian outfit in Bahrain and then triumphing with his team at Spa and Monza.
But a dismal campaign followed thereafter in 2020, one of the worst in Ferrari's history, where a down-on-power engine coupled with a high downforce car weighed heavily on the team's performance.
Ferrari's prospects improved slightly in 2021, but wholesale changes to F1's regulations for 2022 offered the House of Maranello an opportunity to right its ship which it promptly did with a F1-75 that allowed Leclerc to hit the ground running.
As a genuine contender for the world title during the first half of the season, Leclerc saw his patience and his faith in Ferrari finally rewarded.
"That’s what I’ve always done," he said when asked by Auto Motor und Sport how hard it was to uphold his belief in the Scuderia.
"It was just hard to predict that 2022 would be the year we would come back. But I had great confidence. Because I saw behind the scenes in 2021 how much work the team put into the upcoming car.
"That gave me hope that we were taking a big step. But you can never be sure until you actually achieve it."
However, while patience is a virtue, Leclerc admits that it sometimes comes in short supply which breeds mistakes when times are difficult. But he's learned from the setbacks.
"That was harder for me," he said. "I’m impatient.
"Talking about racing and winning, that’s my life. I draw my motivation from victories.
"In 2019, I tasted it. That was an incredible feeling. 2020 and 2021 felt like a return trip to the first year of Formula 1. It certainly wasn’t easy. It probably drove me more into mistakes.
"You try to make the difference as a driver. You’re talking about a second [a lap]: no driver can make that difference.
"That drives you into things that are probably not realistic. It has helped me grow as a driver and be more patient.
"But I hope I never have to be that patient again in my career."
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