Leclerc cheers Vasseur’s new deal - but eyes tough Hungarian GP

Charles Leclerc was full of praise for Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur following confirmation of the Frenchman’s contract renewal – but his optimism stopped short of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Monegaque admitted he’s not expecting miracles.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s round of racing at the Hungaroring, Leclerc said he was “really happy” to see Vasseur’s leadership formally extended amid weeks of swirling speculation.

“It’s not that it’s coming as a surprise, but I’m really happy,” Leclerc said. “Especially in the past months there were quite a few rumours, like is always the case around the team, so to finally have the official news out is important.”

Leaving Emotions Aside with a Clear Vision

Leclerc, who has worked with Vasseur since his junior years in the sport, believes his team boss brings a rare clarity of vision to the often-chaotic world of Ferrari.

“Without going into comparing the different eras, I think Fred has an incredible vision,” he said. “I think what’s very difficult within Ferrari is the emotion is very much part of the daily job, because Italian people in general – and that’s what makes Ferrari so special – are extremely passionate about Ferrari.

“But Fred really knows how to leave his emotions aside and have a clear vision of where we are at, no matter how much noise there is around the team. This is very, very important.

“Apart from that, he’s got obviously many more qualities. One of them is also to extract the maximum out of every single person at the factory. This, when you put everything together, makes a big difference.

“I feel like the beauty of Ferrari is the fact that emotionally speaking it’s always quite intense, but it can also harm us in some ways, especially when tougher times arrive.

“Fred has always had very cold blood in those moments and helped the team to just be a little bit more lucid. That’s probably the biggest thing that Fred brought to the team.”

Hungaroring woes: “By far the worst track of the season for me”

Despite Ferrari’s recent run of good form – including Leclerc’s third-place finish last weekend at Spa – the eight-time Grand Prix winner was blunt about his expectations heading into Budapest.

“I don’t know, it has just not been very successful for me in the past,” Leclerc said of the Hungaroring’s twisty 4.3km layout, where he has never won, taken pole, or finished higher than fourth.

“It’s probably something with my driving style I’ve got to work a little bit harder compared to other tracks,” he admitted. “But that’s fine.”

Ferrari currently sits second in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Mercedes, and Leclerc has earned four podiums in the last six races. Still, he isn't convinced that Ferrari is yet the clear second-best team.

“We’ve had four podiums in the last six race weekends [but] I don’t think though yet that we are at the level where we can say that we are the second-strongest team on the grid,” he said. “But we are working towards that and we are making steps in the right direction.

• Read also: Ferrari extends Vasseur’s contract, quelling speculation

“There’s been quite a few upgrades in the last few weekends, which helped us to close the gap to the guys in front.

“This weekend, I’m not sure. I think it’s by far the worst track of the season for me. So I’m looking forward to try and prove that wrong and to have finally a good weekend here in Budapest.”

With his confidence in Vasseur stronger than ever, Leclerc will now be hoping his fortunes at the Hungaroring can finally catch up.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook