2023 Formula 1 driver rankings #4: Leclerc · RaceFans

For the opening rounds of 2022, Charles Leclerc was a genuine championship contender for the first time in his Formula 1 career.

With two wins from the opening three rounds and a healthy lead in the drivers’ championship, Leclerc had every reason to expect he would be fighting for the world championship over the year.

But Ferrari’s title challenge coughed, spluttered and died over the following months as Red Bull and Max Verstappen went on a rampage, taking both titles with ease. Leclerc had to regroup and refocus on the following season and hope he could renew his campaign for a championship in 2023.

This year, Leclerc’s bid for a world title never got going. He fell from second in the drivers’ standings the year before to fifth in 2023 without a single victory to his name – unlike his team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr. But although it was another season filled with frustration and false hope, Leclerc could look back on his year knowing that he had could be proud of the work he had done, both in and outside of the cockpit.

While his 2022 season had begun so strongly, Leclerc never had the chance to convince himself he was in with any chance of fighting Verstappen for the title this season. Over the opening three rounds, Leclerc managed to score just six points – his worst start to a season since his debut for Sauber. But it was largely in spite of his performance in the car, rather than because of it.

He deserved a podium in the opening race of the season in Bahrain, only for his power unit to fail with 17 laps remaining while running third behind the two Red Bulls. Incredibly, he was forced to take a grid penalty for power unit components in only the second round of 22 in Jeddah, dropping him from the front row of the grid to 12th. Despite that, he recovered to finish in seventh just behind Sainz after being faster than his team mate over the weekend. Melbourne, however, was a disaster. Ferrari’s tactics let him down in qualifying, leaving him seventh on the grid, and he lasted just three corners before spinning out after clipping Lance Stroll under braking.

Already, Leclerc’ season looked like a write-off. But then, something about the city streets of Baku made the SF-23 sing and Leclerc stormed to a stunning pole position in Friday’s qualifying session, becoming the first driver to beat the Red Bulls in any competitive session all year. He backed this up with pole in sprint…