‘I still believe’: Leclerc refuses to give up on F1 title dream

Charles Leclerc, who secured seven pole positions for Ferrari but has only managed to convert three of them so far, needed the Formula One break to clear his mind

Charles Leclerc really needed the Formula One break to clear his mind. His season had started so promisingly, then his big lead over title rival Max Verstappen mushroomed into a huge deficit.

Leclerc won two of the first three races for Ferrari as Verstappen’s Red Bull had reliability woes. But a staggering 126-point swing in the next 10 races gave Verstappen an impregnable-looking 80-point lead heading into Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, where the season resumes.

The mental strain built up for Leclerc as he was confronted with confusing team calls, while also getting furious at some of his own driving errors. The break came at an opportune time for a totally drained Leclerc.

“Yes, I needed it. The first part of the season has been full of highs or lows. There’s lots of accumulation of emotions which leads to being tired,” he said. “I used these weeks in the best way possible with my family, my friends. It was just great.”

There was a lot of mental clutter to clear.

Leclerc saw two nailed-on wins disappear — at the Monaco GP and the British GP — after team calls dropped him down from a dominant position into fourth place.

At the Hungarian GP before the midseason break, Verstappen qualified a season-worst 10th yet somehow won for a season-leading eighth victory.