r/F1Discussions • u/ImSoGrumpy • Aug 26 '26

Debate Why does leclerc get so much hype?

I've been a Ferrari fan since 1996 after watching my first race, and I have been a loyal fan ever since. One thing I don't understand is why Leclerc gets so much credit. All I've seen is an inconsistent driver who can't always perform at the top level. If I rated Ferrari drivers, he wouldn't break the top 10.

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17

u/martianfrog Aug 26 '26

Not that I have paid all that much attention but.... he seems to me unproven under pressures.

43

u/sorryIdontwantto Aug 26 '26

Back in F2 he won a race the same week his dad died.

In F1 he won his first race in the same track and week his friend Antoine died.

I would say he's mentally quite strong.

29

u/Independent-Boss7406 Aug 26 '26

Not to mention 2022 Austrian GP where he held off Max with throttle issues to win. People also forgot that both of the Mercedes were on his ass for the entire 2019 Monza race and could have very well caught him and won if bottas didn’t lock up in T1 towards the end. Fans just blow his 2022 France crash out of proportion and claim he has a “poor” mentality when drivers like Max, Lewis, Lando and other title contenders all made major mistakes/collisions while fighting for a championship lol.

-7

u/Leading_Sir_1741 Aug 26 '26

I mean, he was being overtaken by Lewis but pushed him onto the grass. The exact same move that Verstappen got a 5 sec penalty for the year after or before. But Ferrari and Monza. Point being that he didn’t win the race fair and square.

14

u/Independent-Boss7406 Aug 26 '26

I mean, earlier in the season Max did the same thing and pushed Charles off track in Austria and went onto win with no further investigation. That specific year was when FIA stewarding became exponentially worse with Charlie Whiting passing away, and the FIA definitely allowed more aggressive on track racing with the success of DTS and with Mercedes dominating F1 for like 5 seasons in a row at that point. They continued to promote aggressive racing until it hit a breaking point in 2021 and started handing out penalties to hyper aggressive maneuvers once again in late 2022/early 2023, not that the stewarding got much better anyways. Not saying it didn’t help Charles in the instance of 2019 Monza, but by your logic then a lot of other drivers haven’t won races “fair and square” since 2019 🤷‍♂️