Charles Leclerc launches 'I'm not a bad driver' shield against social media toxicity

Charles Leclerc has offered insight into how he coped with social media toxicity and declared that he held an inner belief that he did not become "a bad driver."

Leclerc claimed his first grand prix win since the 2024 United States GP last time out at the British GP, after a poor run of results in recent weeks as he searched for balance in his SF-26, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton on a run of four podiums in five races, including a win in Barcelona.

The Monegasque has struggled for feeling and balance in his car after a bright opening to the season, even branding his Canadian GP weekend as the "worst" of his career as he outlined his significant struggles, especially on the brakes.

A switch to Hamilton's solution of Carbon Industrie discs in an otherwise Brembo set-up has brought some feeling back to Leclerc - who has been subject to some criticism on social media, following his poor run of form. 

Reacting to that, Leclerc explained how he ignored social media, focusing on what "is relevant" and maintained his inner belief about his skills and potential. 

"I don't know if it fuels me. Honestly, I think anybody who says that would lie," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365, when asked if the negative stories 'fueled' him to do better.

"I think whenever there's so much negativity around, it's not something so nice to see, so you try to cancel the noise as much as possible. 

"I try not to look at my phone and focus on what is relevant in order to also have the right picture of the situation, because things are said and you go from hero to zero, from zero to hero, in like two days in this sport, and so it can influence the way you see a situation. 

"My job was really to just try and cancel that noise, to not look at anything, to not listen to anything. 

"I know that I didn't become a bad driver from one day to the other. It was just a matter of finding that feeling with the car."