Charles Leclerc bounced out of Formula 1’s summer hiatus and into Zandvoort talking of how he is “fully convinced” by Fred Vasseur’s grand plan to transform Ferrari.

If the subsequent events of that race weekend haven’t shaken Leclerc’s faith, they surely at the very least reminded him just how far Ferrari has fallen over the past 12 months, while highlighting how particularly exposed he has become as Ferrari toils.

Not exposed in a contractual sense – Leclerc has another year to run on his current Ferrari deal, says his intentions are clear in wanting to negotiate a new one, and in any case his prodigious speed inside the car (particularly over a qualifying lap) would make him a highly sought-after commodity for rival teams should he and Ferrari somehow not reach agreement.

But that extraordinary ability to extract lap time from the car, the kind of lap time that put Ferrari on pole in Baku when it really had no business being there, is the sort of high-wire trapeze artistry that places enormous stress on the equipment being used, and demands complete faith from the driver in that equipment proving the requisite support.

On multiple occasions in 2023 – particularly in Miami, Barcelona and Zandvoort – Ferrari’s equipment has been found seriously wanting. And the fact the car is on average the second quickest across the season so far but Ferrari languishes fourth in the constructors’ championship, speaks to chronic underachievement and a real difficulty in translating any fundamental underlying pace into tangible results.

Three podiums so far in 2023 (all Leclerc’s), and only marginal expectations of adding a fourth at Monza this weekend, represent a terrible return for team that won four races last season.

There are some who deride Leclerc as a very fast crasher, someone who too often takes liberties with his car and is then punished dramatically for his excesses – the French Grand Prix of 2022 being perhaps the highest-profile example.

But that analysis does a disservice to a driver who is capable of walking the tightrope between success and oblivion like few can. He gets it right far more often than he gets it wrong – and the more capable the car, the better Leclerc performs.

It’s also fair to say Carlos Sainz has done a very good job of walking that tightrope at a slightly lower threshold this season, meaning he has achieved lower peaks but greater consistency within the car’s current limitations, but he too is finding the going tough.

Sainz spoke ahead of the Zandvoort weekend of it being “very difficult to predict which circuits we’re going to be quick at and which we’re not going to be quick” – a point later denied by Ferrari technical chief Enrico Cardile.

After crashing out of Q3 at Zandvoort, Leclerc described his feeling of how this year’s Ferrari was capable of lurching from having grip to no grip from corner entry to mid-corner as the brakes were released, then maybe grip, maybe not, as throttle is reapplied on corner exit. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it doesn’t. You have to trust it will and hope for the best. At Zandvoort it didn’t stick and he was in the wall.

Leclerc skidded off onto the grass and took a fairly hefty hit to the barriers