In a recent interview, Leclerc admitted that he doesn't comment on big issues like the possibility of Binotto being fired, but that everyone needs to be on the same page.
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Ferrari finished the 2022 F1 season strongly, which was somewhat surprising given how bad they’d been in recent rounds. The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi appeared to suit the F1-75 better than the previous rounds, with the Italians going 1-2-3 in the post-season test. However, in the main event on Sunday, Leclerc successfully claimed second in the Drivers’ Championship after a strategic “masterclass” by the Maranello-based team, which surprised the Italians’ fanbase. Ferrari finished second in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, capping off a successful season.
Despite this, there is growing speculation that Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto will be fired this winter due to a series of high-profile strategic errors. In a recent interview, Leclerc admitted that he doesn’t comment on big issues like the possibility of Binotto being fired, but that everyone needs to be on the same page.
“I’ve learned not to think about it and not to comment,” Leclerc told L’Equipe. “But generally the best approach is for everyone to be on the same wavelength to make the right decisions together. It doesn’t necessarily mean changing people, but it’s about the way communication works between engineers, which needs to be clearer,” the Monegasque added.
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Ferrari’s mid-season demise is without a doubt one of the season’s biggest stories, especially given that Leclerc won two of the first three races. Ferrari simply made too many strategic errors during the middle of the season, which quickly knocked Leclerc out of title contention. Binotto admits that Ferrari “made mistakes” this season, but that they made the “right decision” by shifting their focus to 2023 earlier than their competitors.
“Yes, we made mistakes, but you can hide that better if you have a fast and reliable car,” the Italian said. “Red Bull had a clearer path because they only had to reduce the weight of the car. For us it was more difficult because we had to improve the aerodynamic concept. Did we make the right decision with our priorities between 2022 and 2023? Only 2023 will tell us if it was the right decision,” he added.
While he may be disappointed to have missed out on the championship by a small margin, second place is still an excellent result for Leclerc, given that it is the highest he has ever finished. Leclerc is under contract with Ferrari until 2024, so he won’t be leaving anytime soon; however, the Monegasque driver refuses to rule out a move to another team once his contract expires.
