In his final season with teammate Carlos Sainz, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is set to be joined by Lewis Hamilton next year. The seasoned Spanish driver, in turn, will be moving to Williams. Engineer and coach Jock Clear sheds light on the relationship between the two drivers and how Sainz’s victory at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix marked a turning point.
Jock Clear was a guest on the Beyond the Grid podcast, discussing the past four years with Sainz and Leclerc. The latter has often been dubbed Ferrari’s ‘golden boy’ and the chosen one to bring the title back to Maranello. However, he has more than once fallen short next to the Spaniard. “I think he (Leclerc) has responded well to a very strong teammate,” Clear referred to Carlos Sainz.
“We have often discussed Carlos Sainz Jr‘s qualities – it should be clear that he is probably not as fast as Leclerc during a qualification,” explained Clear. “However, a victory for Sainz at the Singapore GP (2023, ed.) really hit hard. Leclerc was absolutely the favorite there. The fact that the victory was then snatched away by his teammate really hurt. He suddenly realized: ‘Okay, I really need to perform on Sunday.’
‘Leclerc has honed his skills’
“His focus did indeed change; he could no longer rely on a fast qualifying round,” Clear clarified. The 61-year-old Englishman wanted to further emphasize that the stories about Leclerc’s alleged poor race speed and tire management belong to the past. “Three years ago, people tended to say: ‘He is less good in the race,'” said Clear. “That’s not fair – he’s just very good at qualifying.”
“As a team, we have also shifted our focus to developing a better race car,” he concluded. “In the past, we have not focused well on things like tire management. What we are showing this year is that we are focusing much more on a good car during the race. Leclerc is aware of this and has also honed his skills.”
