Charles Leclerc affirms that his trust in Ferrari remains intact despite the Italian outfit's continued performance shortfall.
Although Ferrari has reined in the strategy blunders and reliability issues that undermined its 2022 campaign, a few dubious calls by the Scuderia's pit wall have still triggered moments of exasperation for Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz.
In Montreal last month, Leclerc hit out at Ferrari after getting knocked out of Q2 when the team failed to capitalise on improving track conditions, while he also questioned the Scuderia's decision to pit him early last time out at Silverstone, a call he said that put him "on the back foot" for the remainder of his race.
Post-race briefings often offer clarity on a decision that may have initially seemed misguided as seen from the cockpit. But they also sometimes confirm a strategic mistake.
Regardless, Leclerc insists that a frank two-way conversation between team and driver helps keep both sides honest in the event of a miscue.
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"We disagree sometimes as we are very honest with one another," the Monegasque told The Guardian recently.
"I say to the team what I think and the team say what they think. This is the way to move forward. I don’t think the trust has ever been an issue.
"We have a very different vision inside the car than what the team has on the pit wall, so these things happen."
While he remains confident in Ferrari's ability to challenge for the world title, Leclerc – now in his fifth year with the Scuderia – would certainly be excused for feeling increasingly frustrated by his team's shortfall.
And yet he feels that his sense of commitment towards Ferrari and his steely determination are only strengthened by the setbacks or failures he encounters.
"I am the first one who wants to be in a title fight," he said. "But it’s not frustrating, it motivates me a lot.
"I am even more motivated to change that, to bring Ferrari back to where it deserves to be, which is consistently on top. Once we get there I am sure it will be a very, very special moment."
Leclerc admits that even in defeat or in difficult moments, being a Ferrari driver holds a special significance.
"This year is far away from where we expected it to be but being a Ferrari driver is something very special," he added.
"I don’t feel the outside pressure but I am putting myself under a lot of pressure in order to succeed, the responsibility of bringing Ferrari back to the top.
"The passion people have for the team is like nobody else. This comes with the good side that there is so much enthusiasm, but it comes with things more difficult to manage, that because of this passion people are quite impatient."
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