After a frustrating and stultifying opening to the new Formula One season, Ferrari finally have a moment to savour. How much it meant was clear as Charles Leclerc climbed from his car having taken pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and vigorously pointed to the prancing horse logo on his chest. Pumped by an immaculate performance, he and the Scuderia will view this as the belated opening to 2023 they wanted – but what follows this weekend will more accurately define the scale of their challenge to a dominant Red Bull.
Leclerc has taken a battering in the opening three races. He suffered an engine failure in Bahrain, a 10-place grid penalty in Saudi Arabia and was unlucky to be punted out of the race on the first lap in Australia. After a week in which he has had to dismiss rumours of talks with Mercedes to join the team should Lewis Hamilton retire, and in which it was announced that Ferrari’s racing director, Laurent Mekies, is to leave to replace Franz Tost as team principal at AlphaTauri – a blow after the recent loss of technical director David Sanchez to McLaren – Leclerc delivered reason for the embattled team to finally breathe out.
