Jock Clear Backs Leclerc as Future F1 World Champion

Jock Clear dismisses critics, insisting Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has all the qualities to become a future Formula 1 champion.

Jock Clear was leading Ferrari’s academy when Charles Leclerc was promoted to F1 and then into the team in 2019. The Scuderia’s performance engineer is convinced that the Monegasque has the potential to be a world champion.

“Absolutely, he has everything it takes to be world champion. I said it back in 2018, obviously, as we were working with him at the academy. We saw all the right things at every stage,” Clear recalls.

“He has the speed in qualifying. My God, I honestly think he’s the best qualifier we’ve seen. It’s hard to go back as far as Michael [Schumacher], Mika [Häkkinen], and others, but he’s certainly the best in qualifying.”

“And his race management, if you look at Monza, is simply outstanding. When everything is in place, he can deliver. It’s one of the things I’ve often fought against, without naming names, but if I give you the words, you’ll know exactly whose mouth they came from.”

“There was a lot of ‘we’re paying him a lot of money, he should just drive the ‘king’s car’. And if you think that’s all it’s about, you’re missing something because many things need to come together for everything to align.”

Leclerc could have aimed for the world title in 2022, but Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated the end of the season, and Clear recalls that too many things weren’t right within the Scuderia to reach the expected level for the world title.

“Was it really a chance for Ferrari to win the world championship? You’d have to say yes, because at one point we had a 40-point lead in the drivers’ championship and were able to beat Max on numerous circuits. So, as a team, we weren’t ready.”

“I think the way the development went meant Red Bull outpaced us by the end of the year. Certainly, everything wasn’t aligned, but Charles would say that there were things that weren’t championship level that year, despite all we did.”

“But that’s exactly the issue. You won’t win a championship until everyone is performing at that level. It’s unfair to say Mercedes won all those championships just because they had the best car. They had the best of everything.”

“It’s the same with Max these last three years: he’s been excellent, but Red Bull has been excellent too. So, when Charles performs at that level, we need to perform at that level with him. And when I confidently say, ‘yes, he’s ready,’ it’s because when we are all at that level, I know he will deliver.”

“I know he can do what’s needed when we’re all performing at that level. So, when we are in a position as a team to consistently deliver a car capable of fighting for a championship, which I believe we are close to now, Charles will be ready to rise to the occasion.”