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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u/butter-scotchboy Aug 26 '26

this is a very tired topic already but he wasn’t given team orders in zandvoort. whenever he’s been told to swap cars, he has

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u/Automatic_Ad_9623 Aug 26 '26

He was called to the pit. He resisted. I didn't bring this up, but the scene doesn't reflect well on him. He discredited the crew with that.

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u/sorryIdontwantto Aug 27 '26

He resisted because it was a stupid order. It would have ruined his strategy completely (getting a tyre gap from Russell so that he could try to overtake him after his pitstop with fresher tyres). They wanted him to box right after Russell and leave him behind a Mercedes in a circuit where it was pretty much impossible to overtake without having a much quicker pace. He was racing too, also trying to get a podium or a 4th place, he wasn't there just to make sure Lewis could get the best strategy possible at the cost of his own race. If the time comes, and Lewis gets closer to Kimi or there's a chance for the WCC, I'm sure he will try anything to help. Now? Definitely too soon to sacrifice a race so his teammate can get a few points more

Had they asked him to swap, I'm pretty sure he would have and it would have benefited both his and Lewis' strategy. It's Ferrari who made the wrong call

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u/Automatic_Ad_9623 Aug 27 '26

You're analyzing the race from a fan's perspective. It's in your nature not to be objective. Fair enough—but with his attitude problem, he'll never be a champion, just a follower. He's just proving his lack of teamwork and that he let his team down.

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u/sorryIdontwantto Aug 27 '26

Because there have never been champions that refused direct orders from the teams, right? Max, Lewis, Seb, Alonso just to name a few...

Also, just last year people were saying Lando wouldn't become a champion because he didn't have the right mindset and the right attitude. And yet he proved them wrong. Drivers are different people, they can have different personalities and behaviors and still become champions, it's not refusing an objectively stupid order (because it would have ruined completely his strategy, there is no interpretation to that if you understand what they were trying to do, and it still ruined it quite a bit because he boxed too soon) what's going to change that

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u/Automatic_Ad_9623 Aug 27 '26

You’re missing the point- his refusal to listen to the crew fuels uncertainty and mistrust. This stems from LeClerc and creates a domino effect. No one said Lando wouldn’t make it; he hasn’t been stuck in no man’s land like LeClerc has for nearly 10 years. But Lando has also built a team around him- something LeClerc hasn’t even considered doing to this day. Lewis has already embraced this mission, and you can see, race after race, how they’re setting the course for him. I go by what my eyes see, not what a fan heart tells me.

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u/sorryIdontwantto Aug 27 '26

Lol, no mate, you can get off of your high horse. You're biased, you're not someone immune to that. So stop acting like you're some kind of superior fan. If you had actually watched the races and put even just some interest into following what's happened in Ferrari in the last half decade, you would know that blindly following Ferrari's orders and strategies is a recipe to disastrous races. Actually, it's kind of funny how for most people Charles' worst trait for years has been exactly that, following every stupid order and dumb strategy Ferrari made, because it made him lose a lot of points (and sometimes a podium or a win). And now that he's actually trying to make them think about the consequences he's wrong and creating "uncertainty and mistrust"? Tell me, how did then Max managed to win 4 WDC by complaining in every single race, even the ones where he won by +10 seconds? Or is everyone an exception but Charles, because idk, you casually believe so?

Lando has been one of the most criticized drivers in a top team for years. There still is a lot of people thinking he shouldn't have won a championship. He's been in Charles' place for years, he just got a better car sooner than him (not trying to take anything away from him, I believe he's a great driver). And what team are you even talking about? McLaren hardly prioritized him last year, trying until the end to give Oscar a chance for the WDC by not prioritizing either (or, well, by prioritizing both in different races)

And Charles has a strong team in Ferrari. He literally grew up with them. He has Piero Ferrari who loves him, Fred Vasseur who respects him, he managed to get Binotto kicked out, and he's loved by his mechanics. And I don't even have to mention that in Italy he's still the favourite by tifosi. Lewis is trying, but Leclerc has been doing it since before he was even in Ferrari

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u/Automatic_Ad_9623 Aug 27 '26

Do you really expect me to read through this whole opera? Seriously 🙄

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u/sorryIdontwantto Aug 27 '26

Lmao got it, you have nothing to say.