Following Ferrari’s disastrous start to the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, it has been reported by gazzetta.it that Charles Leclerc asked for a meeting with Ferrari president John Elkann to “receive reassurance”.
Going into the new season, Ferrari reportedly had an excellent car and most importantly, a reliable one.
The Italians spent the off-season solving the reliability issues with their power unit, which cost Leclerc two potential victories last season.
By solving and fixing their engine issues, it was reported that the Maranello-based team had discovered an additional 30hp.
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It meant that the Italians were entering the new season confident that they wouldn’t endure a season similar to 2022, only for it all to unravel at the season-opening race.
Leclerc’s engine failure whilst running in third caught the entire team by surprise, with an investigation having been conducted to find out what exactly went wrong.
With Carlos Sainz having finished fourth, it meant Ferrari started 2023 without a podium, something that is certainly far from ideal.
Whilst it’s perhaps too soon to panic given that 22 races are still to be completed, Leclerc is clearly wondering if 2023 is going to be another season of disappointment.
“After the nightmare Bahrain GP, Charles Leclerc requested a meeting with Ferrari President John Elkann in Maranello to discuss the situation, seeking to share his point of view and receive reassurance,” wrote Ferrari News on Twitter, as per gazzetta.it.
“Charles wants to win with Ferrari, but feels that time is running out.”
Whilst the engine failure was clearly less than ideal for Leclerc and Ferrari, the biggest issue is arguably the fact that they never looked like beating Max Verstappen or Red Bull.
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Even before Leclerc’s retirement, the Monegasque wasn’t anywhere near Verstappen, and was even overtaken somewhat easily by Sergio Pérez for second.
Had the 25-year-old finished the race, then there is no guarantee that he’d even have finished on the podium, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso having had better pace.
It appears that Ferrari’s current dilemma is whether to look forward and try to catch Red Bull, or defend their position as the second strongest team from Aston Martin.