---
title: "Ferrari: Leclerc’s motivation ‘is still there’ despite poor F1 form"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2023/04/12/ferrari-leclercs-motivation-is-still-there-despite-poor-f1-form/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2023-04-12T09:22:54Z"
modified: "2023-04-12T09:22:55Z"
---

# Ferrari: Leclerc’s motivation ‘is still there’ despite poor F1 form

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur insists Charles Leclerc’s motivation is “is still there” despite suffering his worst start to a season with the team.

In the opening there races of 2023, Leclerc has scored just six points from a possible 78, with a seventh place finish in Saudi Arabia his only top 10 finish so far.

The Monegasque driver retired from the season opener in Bahrain while running in a podium position, while in Australia his race was ended by a first-lap collision with Lance Stroll.

It marks a stark contrast to last year where Leclerc was leading the world championship after winning two of the first three grand prix’s.

But despite a difficult run of form and frustration at Ferrari’s poor start to 2023, Vasseur believes Leclerc remains motivated to help the Italian team turn its season around.

“I have absolutely no doubt about the motivation of Charles,” Vasseur said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “For sure the start of the season is not ideal at all. We had the DNF in Bahrain and then the penalty in Jeddah, and the DNF in Melbourne.

“It was not the at all the plan. But the motivation is still there. You know that I have a good relationship with Charles. And this won’t affect the mood.

“But when you are jumping on Charles or Carlos or any other drivers in the TV pen 30 seconds after the race, for sure they can’t be happy.

“And I would be very frustrated if they were relaxed and happy with the situation. The most important for me to keep everybody motivated, pushing in the same direction and they are supporting the team. Carlos was there \[last\] week in the simulator and Charles will be there \[this\] week.

“The motivation is not an issue at all. For sure the results are not as expected. But we all know that.”

This season has marked Ferrari’s lowest points haul from the opening set of races since 2009, when it failed to register a single point.

Pressed on whether Ferrari’s senior executives had held talks over its recent results, Vasseur stressed the relationship with chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna was positive and the team was “working together” to improve its current performance.

“The mood into the team is incredibly good for the level of results that we have,” he said. “I think everybody is very motivated, very focused. The drivers, they are very supportive with us.

“And the mood into the team is more than good. If the question was about the relationship with John or with Benedetto, trust me that it’s also very positive.

“For sure, we don’t have the results that we are expecting, but we are all working together to improve the situation.”