The Canadian Grand Prix was a really tough race for every driver with the conditions making life extremely difficult.
Max Verstappen was the ultimate benefactor as he once again proved his incredible ability, especially in comparison to his teammate Sergio Perez who had a torrid weekend.
Jacques Villeneuve was commenting on the championship contenders for Sky Sports F1 and one driver he wanted to praise was Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque driver couldn’t have had two more different weekends if he tried.
After dominating at his home track in Monte Carlo, Ferrari had a shocking race in Canada, with both drivers failing to score points.
While Carlos Sainz made a rare error that ended his and Alex Albon’s race, Leclerc’s issues were completely out of his control.
Villeneuve has admitted that Leclerc has started to cut out the mistakes that once used to cost him when he was in high-pressure situations.
And while that may be the case, races like the one in Montreal can have no bearing on his reputation within the sport.
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Jacques Villeneuve believes Charles Leclerc is cutting out mistakes
Ferrari would have gone into the race in Canada with high hopes that they could take advantage of Red Bull’s difficulties when it comes to riding curbs.
The track should have theoretically suited Leclerc and Sainz much better than Verstappen and Perez but it didn’t pan out that way.
Although the Ferraris out-qualified Perez, they couldn’t reach Q3, putting them on the back foot for the rest of the weekend.
The wet conditions made overtaking tricky, to begin with – unless you were on the full wet tyres like both Haas cars – and then Leclerc had to deal with a significant power unit issue.
Leclerc’s race was eventually ended by the team but only after they attempted a disastrous strategy.
Villeneuve has been very impressed with Leclerc and that he’s managed to cut out the mistakes he was previously making.
That was epitomised by a perfect weekend in Monaco where any error will immediately bring your race to an end.
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Asked how highly he rates Leclerc, Villeneuve said: “He’s super quick and if you look at Monaco, he stayed concentrated, which is very different to the past.
“In the past, he’s made a lot of mistakes by over pushing and in Monaco it was all under control.
“So, maybe that’s preparation for next year when Lewis [Hamilton] is coming.”
Leclerc is going to have to up his game when Lewis Hamilton does arrive with the team next year, although it would be doing Carlos Sainz a disservice to say that he’s not driving at a seriously high level this year.
Hamilton called the Canadian Grand Prix one of the worst races of his career but still came home in 4.
He’s been beaten by teammate George Russell in both qualifying and racing head-to-heads this year but it’s unsurprising that Mercedes are prioritising the driver staying with the team in 2025 and beyond.
Hamilton will be a different proposition for the 35-podium Leclerc altogether next year and his reputation may hinge on whether or not he can match the seven-time world champion.
Villeneuve has faith that he’s one of the fastest drivers on the grid but only time will tell if he’s going to be a future F1 world champion.
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