Red Bull simulator driver Rudy van Buren believes that Charles Leclerc’s situation at Ferrari is not dissimilar to that of Max Verstappen before his 2021 title fight, with the Monegasque driver currently only able to fight for the occasional race win or pole position. However, he believes he is well-placed to capitalise if the Prancing Horse does topple the reigning champions.
Verstappen and Leclerc looked set for a major name war in 2022 after Leclerc came away with two wins and a P2 finish in the first three rounds of the season. However, mechanical retirements in Spain and Baku saw the momentum shift as the Dutchman took over a second consecutive Drivers’ Championship crown.
Unfortunately for Leclerc, he slipped further away from the festival in 2023, taking five poles but failing to take a win and finished the campaign in P5 in qualifying. Meanwhile, Verstappen took 19 Grand Prix victories breaking record after record in the almost unbeatable RB19.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Van Buren explained: “I don’t think I have anything better anywhere else. Fred Vasseur is here now, for his first full year. These Vasseur tweaks won’t arrive a year from now, it also takes time. He’s a user I appreciate in that sense, so give him time.
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“Being Leclerc at the moment, I don’t know where he’s going. This bad luck has to be prevented one day and they have to do strategic things from time to time. In his case, it’s obviously very difficult, but we have to wait. “for the time being.
“Look, Max also had several years of a Red Bull with which he could win a race once in a while and now we are on two of these seasons. It’s Formula One, it can happen like the snap of a finger and then you also have to have a team around you that knows you well. And I think that’s where he is at the moment at Ferrari.”
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Leclerc can take advantage of some comfort on Verstappen’s way to the World Championship race. The 26-year-old was forced to make do with the wreckage left behind by Mercedes in the turbo-hybrid era, taking back-to-back P3 finishes before beating Lewis Hamilton to the title in 2021.
At Ferrari, there is some reason for optimism. Between Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz, the Scuderia picked up seven pole positions and one race win in 2023, and in Fred Vasseur, they have a leader who is as respected as he is popular. The Italian team are well-positioned to make further inroads on Red Bull in 2024.
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