After several difficult weeks, Charles Leclerc explains how he managed to ignore the criticism on social media to find his way back to victory at Silverstone.
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Before his success in Great Britain, Charles Leclerc was going through one of the most delicate periods of his recent career.
Although very convincing at the start of the season, the Ferrari driver had gradually lost his feel behind the wheel of the SF-26, notably due to difficulties related to the balance of the car and braking.
Meanwhile, his teammate Lewis Hamilton was delivering solid performances, with four podiums in the five races before Silverstone, including a win in Barcelona.
Leclerc had even gone as far as to call his Canadian Grand Prix weekend the worst of his entire Formula 1 career.
To regain more confidence, the Monegasque had ultimately adopted a technical solution already used by Hamilton, switching to Carbon Industrie brake discs combined with a Brembo setup. A change that allowed him to gradually regain better feel.
Leclerc chose to ignore social media
This period of disappointing results also led to many criticisms on social media.
Asked about the impact of these negative comments, Charles Leclerc admits they are not a source of extra motivation.
“Honestly, I think anyone who says it motivates them would be lying.”
The Ferrari driver explains on the contrary that he deliberately sought to distance himself from this environment.
“When there is so much negativity around you, it is obviously not pleasant. So I tried to make all that noise disappear as much as possible.”
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His method was simple: to limit his exposure to social media as much as possible.
“I tried not to look at my phone and to focus only on what is really important in order to keep a clear view of the situation.”
“You go from hero to zero in two days”
Leclerc believes that the speed with which public opinion evolves in Formula 1 can quickly distort the perception of things.
“In this sport, you can go from hero to zero, then from zero to hero in just two days. That can influence how you analyze a situation.”
To avoid falling into this trap, he preferred to cut himself completely off from these reactions.
“My job was simply to eliminate all that noise, to not look at anything and to not listen to anything.”
Confidence intact despite difficulties
Although Charles Leclerc went through a difficult period, he assures he never doubted his driving level.
“I know I didn’t become a bad driver overnight.”
According to him, the problem was only his adaptation to the car: “It was simply a matter of regaining the right feel with the car.”
His victory at Silverstone seems to have proven him right. After several weeks of work with Ferrari, the Monegasque has regained the level that allowed him to shine at the start of the season.
Now it remains to confirm this return to form in the upcoming races. But one thing is certain: Charles Leclerc has preferred to respond to criticism with his performances on track rather than on social media.
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