“There Were Moments That Were Difficult” – Leclerc Opens Up on His Relationship With Vettel at Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel have had a number of heated battles on the track, especially last year. The on-track friction between the duo reached an all-time high in Brazil 2019, where the two were involved in an ‘incident’ that resulted in both of them retiring from the race. However, the relationship that the two of them share off the track seems pretty solid.

Leclerc opened up on his relationship with the 4-time World Champion saying, “Like with Ferrari, I was also intimidated with Seb at first, which is normal. But actually, he’s a very normal guy and a very nice guy.

“We have got on very well from the beginning. There is a competitiveness that plays a role in the relationship but that never changes the way we speak to each other. That was a good thing.

“There were moments that were a bit more difficult, like Brazil, which always happens. But I think we managed the situation quite well. We managed to turn the page quite quickly after that.”

At the start of the season, many expected a lot more feisty battles between the two, but that has not been the case. The majority of the headlines grabbed by the team thus far have pertained to their dismal performances.

The duo have endured rather contrasting seasons thus far. Leclerc has been on the podium twice (albeit with a bit of luck) and has got the best out of a lackluster car. Vettel, on the other hand, has only managed to finish in a favorable position 5 out of 9 times, with a best finish of P6.

Charles Leclerc on what advice would he give to his younger self

The Monegasque is known to be very self-critical and thus if he could, he would tell his younger self to, “Be more patient.” Leclerc says, “This is key and that is the biggest step I have done in my career.

“In the beginning, I wanted everything straight away. I was only seeing the negative. Be more patient and cheering myself up a bit more – these two things I would say to my younger self.”

Being patient is probably what has served him well in recent times. Driving the SF1000 would no doubt be frustrating for him and he would love to get back to competing at the front of the grid, sooner rather than later.

However, that will definitely not happen in time for the next race in Sochi (27th September). So Leclerc will have to continue being patient and hope that next year would be an improvement to this one.