Who slept worst last night: Charles Leclerc

OPINION: A rough diamond, no doubt – but is he really world champion material? Here's why Charles Leclerc is in danger of becoming Formula 1’s next Jean Alesi

Can you remember Jean Alesi? The passionate Frenchman in the red Ferrari, whose fearless style often evoked memories of Gilles Villeneuve, was seen – especially in the early years of his career – as a sure-fire future Formula 1 world champion. Who could forget Phoenix 1990, when he took the fight to the great Ayrton Senna in an inferior Tyrrell, ultimately finishing second in just the first race of his second season in Formula 1?

For years, F1 insiders were unanimous: Alesi would become a world champion, and sooner rather than later. In the summer of 1990, two of the biggest teams, Ferrari and Williams, were vying for his services. Alesi, in fact, signed with both. In the end, the lawyers decided he would go to Ferrari. To this day, people still wonder what might have happened if he had been in the Williams instead of Nigel Mansell in 1992, Alain Prost in 1993 or Ayrton Senna in 1994. Perhaps he’d be a three-time world champion today.

But it didn’t turn out that way. Alesi joined Ferrari at a time when the team was still searching for its identity following Enzo Ferrari’s death; a new identity it wouldn’t find until the late 90s, when Michael Schumacher arrived, and Alesi was already gone.

Jean Alesi, Ferrari 643

Photo by: Motorsport Images

By the end of his career in 2001, Alesi had just one grand prix victory to his name – a statistic that doesn’t match his natural speed and car control. But in retrospect, he probably:

was not mentally resilient enough
saw himself as a superstar too early
was in the wrong place at the wrong time at Ferrari

Maybe I’m just imagining things, but do some of you see the parallels to Charles Leclerc?

The now 27-year-old Monegasque, who needed seven "fucks" on Saturday to describe his own performance ("Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck that. So fucking shit I am. I am so fucking shit. That's all I am."), wasn’t much happier after the race. On the radio, he summed it up with: "That was fuckingly bad."

It may sound strange, but when Leclerc gets beaten even by Lewis Hamilton, the alarm bells start ringing. "Where am I losing to Lewis? I guess a little bit everywhere?" he asked during the Silverstone race. "Yeah, a little bit everywhere," replied his engineer. And when he was told he could gain the most time in corners 1, 2, 12 and 13, he just stared in disbelief: "How is that possible? I’m already flat through Turns 1 and 2!"

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Erik Junius

Silverstone marked the first weekend where Leclerc genuinely seemed like the slower of the two Ferrari drivers. And it's no wonder—after all, the old airfield isn’t just the home of British motor racing, it’s basically Hamilton’s living room. Since 2013, the seven-time champion stood on the podium there every year until yesterday, and with nine RAC Gold Trophies, he holds the record for the most wins at Silverstone. By far.

There’s reason to believe Silverstone wasn’t just a blip but the beginning of a shift in internal team dynamics. Ferrari deputy team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio revealed on Friday that Hamilton had finally come to terms with the fact that he’d have to live with a loose rear end, like Leclerc does, instead of trying to fix it. And voila, the momentum began to shift in his favor.

Leclerc entered Formula 1 in 2018. By the end of 2025, he’ll have completed his eighth season, his seventh with Ferrari. And he still has only eight Grand Prix wins to show for it. He finished second in the championship in 2022 and third in 2024. Respectable achievements, sure – but honestly, far too little for a driver of his talent.

At Silverstone, Leclerc finished 14th, nearly lapped. Not much remained of the carefree young man who, back in 2019, made life difficult for Sebastian Vettel and ultimately ended the German's reign at Ferrari.

In the 2025 drivers’ standings, Leclerc currently sits fifth with 119 points. Hamilton, despite seemingly underwhelming performance most weekends, is close behind with 103. I’ll admit: I expected Leclerc to be the next multiple world champion after Vettel, to brush Hamilton aside and send him into retirement at Ferrari. But based on Silverstone, that doesn't seem to be happening. It now looks like an even fight. Which bodes well for Hamilton – and not for Leclerc.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

Don’t get me wrong: racing in Formula 1 for 10 years at Ferrari with a few grand prix wins sprinkled in is a major life achievement. Leclerc is adored in Italy – not just by the powerful Agnelli family, but also by the tifosi in Imola and Monza. I’m sure Alesi, looking back, would say he lived a wonderful, privileged life. With a very comfortable bank account to show for it – not the most important thing, but it contributes to a peaceful retirement.

But Charles Leclerc is not Jean Alesi. In karting, he proved he belonged more in Max Verstappen’s league. It’s about time he proved that again. And became world champion.

That won’t be happening in 2025.