How Leclerc’s hardest critic is always himself

There is one characteristic that, perhaps even more than natural talent, speed or technical insight, truly defines Charles Leclerc. It is the way he judges himself. Or, to be more precise, the way he holds himself to account. Publicly, without filters, without defences, without the slightest attempt to deflect blame.

Miami effectively encapsulated what Leclerc continues to be. What happened on Sunday was not simply a driving error on the final lap of a race that had been flawless on his side up to that point. It was also the way Leclerc chose to deal with it.

His first words after the race were clear, direct, leaving no room for interpretation: it was his fault. No mention of tyre degradation, no explanation regarding track conditions, no reference to a questionable strategy or race incidents. Just a total acceptance of responsibility, almost brutal in its sincerity.

“I'm very disappointed with myself. It's all on me and it's a mistake,” Leclerc said after the race.

“I obviously need to look [back at the spin] because with these cars you always have the question mark of how much it deploys, and considering it was the last lap, maybe there was a bit more out of that corner as you just need to finish the lap with that amount of energy.

“But that's not an excuse in any way. It's all on me and it's not acceptable. So I need to look at that.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Brett Farmer / LAT Images via Getty Images

This is probably the Monegasque’s most authentic trait, given Leclerc almost never looks for excuses. When something goes wrong, the first target is often himself. It happened during the most difficult years, it happened after missed opportunities, costly mistakes, and victories that slipped away. It continues to happen today, in a season where, paradoxically, perhaps no one could ask much more of him than what he is already doing.

Looking objectively at the Miami weekend, it is natural to wonder how much of a chance Ferrari really had of securing a podium given Mercedes’ dominance and McLaren’s resurgence. The answer, probably, is that it wasn’t entirely within its grasp. Mercedes still sets the benchmark, while McLaren, particularly in terms of race pace and tyre management, has shown it can be a genuine threat. And the Scuderia, albeit improving, continues to operate within an extremely narrow performance window: competitive when everything clicks perfectly, vulnerable as soon as something strays from that scenario.

Leclerc knows this perfectly well. He had already made it clear after qualifying; he knows that this car, as things stand, is not yet in a position to consistently challenge those ahead. He knows that on certain weekends, the best realistic outcome is to limit the damage, maximise the car’s potential, and bring home crucial points. He also knows that, on Sundays like the one in Miami, the podium was not a formality but almost a minor feat.

After eight seasons at Ferrari, Leclerc’s outlook has been the same since day one: the same urgency, the same hunger, the same refusal to accept that a technical limitation must automatically become a restraint on his results.

That is exactly what we saw in Miami. For over 50 laps, Leclerc put together a strong race and transformed a Ferrari that, on paper, was not a likely podium contender. Then, at the critical moment, he kept pushing. He didn’t think about the conservative route, banking what points were on offer and moving on: he went for that little bit extra. 

And this time it turned into a mistake – a spin into the wall, and while attempting to nurse home a damaged car, he picked up a heavy penalty which eventually dropped him to eighth in the results.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Brett Farmer / LAT Images via Getty Images

“I think that without the mistake, I could have got a podium,” he said. “I think it's easy to blame it on the strategy afterwards. Even with the best strategy, with that mistake in the last lap, I probably wouldn't have been on the podium.

“First, I'll look at myself and then surely I'll speak with the team to try and improve whatever we haven't optimised yet.”

From the outside, it’s easy to see it as a weakness, but perhaps the truth is more complex. Perhaps Leclerc isn’t wrong, despite being so hard on himself, in that he makes mistakes precisely because his level of self-expectation is so high that it sometimes goes beyond what the car can realistically give him.

This is what makes Leclerc one of the most fascinating figures in the paddock. In an era where many drivers know exactly how to protect the result, the team, their public image or simply the narrative of the weekend, Leclerc continues to not even protect himself.

Because the harshest judge for Leclerc is not Ferrari. It is not the fans. It is not the pundits. It is not social media. Leclerc’s harshest judge has always been himself. And in Miami, once again, that verdict came before all the others.