Will Charles LeClerc EVER win an F1 world championship?

Charles Leclerc has raced for Ferrari since 2019 but has not won an F1 title in that time. Yet he is adamant he will not look elsewhere in his hunt for a world championship -
So when asked ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix what prevents Leclerc from looking to move elsewhere, he said: “Because I love this team very much, I think that's the answer.


“I've always loved Ferrari and that's where I draw my motivation from because I want to bring back Ferrari to the top, no matter how long it takes.
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Unfortunately, his dedication to his abusive relationship will continue to go unrewarded.

 

Its a risk but he has not learned anything from FA's time with the team. His life.........but if he really cared about an F1 title he would be a touch more open to moving. This is not RedBull built around Max for him.

 

I've voted no, and the reason is simple. He doesn't have the killer instinct required.

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I’d love to see the TP express the same sentiment.

 

I think he has the talent and the will to be WDC. He doesn't have the car.

 

Well, he could look for a better car, a better team, better opportunities, but he doesn't.
So I guess he is satisfied where he is.

 

This could be his epitaph? I hope not.

 

IDK, I have to respect his devotion. Something that's lacking in many now.

 

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Everybody loves Chuck. So he's got that going for him!

 

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There's a saying in some team sports that the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back. You'll see stars in these sports stay with a team they love instead of leaving for another one that has a much higher chance of winning a championship. To me, it doesn't mean they have any less the killer instinct than anyone else, but rather they put a high value on their relationship with teammates, the organization, and its fans. They want to win, but want to do it with the team that matters to them. In this era of selfish, mercenary athletes, I think the ones that think like this are looked upon very favorably.

I can understand why Charles wants to stay.

 

F1 isn't a team sport: it's everybody for himself, mostly for drivers.
Loyalty doesn't pay: engineers, mechanics, principals even move from team to team to develop their career.
As for drivers, they are expendable for the teams, and get sacked when they cease to be useful.

 

The Chinese have downloaded his brain

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In Corporate Team Value Franchise F1 - Drivers are not at all long term employee's lol. Just ask RedBull. Charles is doing just enough and saying the right things to stay alive at Ferrari. He wont be there when someone else puts him in the mode of LH, explaining weekly what is wrong now. The teams are so much bigger than the Garagista era its not even close to compare.

They are investment fund entities nothing more. Oh yes they build a 'car' to race adorned with foolish Corporate money/influence campaign banners which are literally more important than the driver. He drives the Corporate Advert billboard for points lol. We ask for racing we get Team Investment Fund parade lol If F1 were serious about talent and drivers, Drugovich would not be going to Formula-E but replacing Colapinto, Yuki or Stroll or LH, FA.
Max might be the last 'long term' employee/driver of this time frame.

 

It's not a team? Are the pit crew just service station workers who clean your windshield and check your oil while filling up your tank? Or are they teammates who train together to perform the most optimal pit stops possible to put the the driver, and the team, in the be position to win?

What about all the discussion about 'team orders'? Drivers giving teammates a tow, or holding up traffic to benefit a teammate, or letting a teammate pass because they are faster. Doesn't sound like 'everyone for himself'

I think what makes racing interesting is because it's both an individual and team sport at the same time.

By the way, in what you'd call more traditional team sports, trainers, managers, coaches, and players (even superstars) change teams all the time if they think it will be more beneficial to them, or if they are fired because their team doesn't think they are helping any more. Doesn't make them any less a team sport.

 

You’ll get some who are misguided and will insist to the end that it is a team sport. I’m not one of those. It’s no more a team sport than tennis or golf. Would anyone argue that a caddy, a racquet stringer or a trainer is a “teammate”? Well, some of the athletes themselves may say that in public…because they think they have to because God forbid they should appear to be self-centered or egotistical. It’s ok to be an individual, playing or driving for yourself.

 

What Leclerc doesn't realize is that he doesn't have "however long it takes," and that the team he loves will cast him aside possibly even before his expiration date.

That said, Can any of us honestly say we would think differently than him at his age?

 

I’m sure he’s aware of the ticking clock, but he just doesn’t express it publicly. I do very much appreciate his attitude, though. It reminds me a little bit of Stirling Moss choosing to race for a privateer as opposed to factory teams (including Ferrari among others). Although his name doesn’t appear on a list of world driving champions, he’s more memorable than most of them, and respect for his talent and sportsmanship are not at all diminished by the lack of a title.

 

Leclerc will eventually divorce his love for Ferrari as Ferrari keeps letting him down time and time again. Life is short.

 

The bloom is off the rose. His time has come and gone. He is still very fast but he is past his "Best use by" date. He will join a distinquished list of Ferrari drivers who just didn't make it all the way. And if he is smart, he has saved his money and will find other things to do in life that will give him satisfaction and pleasure.

 

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