‘Wasn’t Very Stable’ – Charles Leclerc Hints Ferrari Was to Blame for Sebastian Vettel’s 2020 F1 Struggles

The 2020 F1 season witnessed four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, experience one of the most horrendous outings in his racing career. Initially, it looked like his form had taken a massive blow, considering his teammate, Charles Leclerc, showed no signs of trouble in taming the Ferrari.

Hence, this led to people questioning his ability to compete in F1, while a lot reckoned that he had gone past his prime. However, it looks like Vettel’s struggles had nothing to do with his form, but what the 2020 Ferrari car offered.

Amid the rise in hatred for Vettel’s on-track performance, Leclerc finally broke the silence on what was wrong with the SF1000.

What did Charles Leclerc say?

Speaking to Motorsport, the Monegasque opened up that Ferrari’s 2020 car suited his driving style. He reckoned that most of the racers would have struggled with it.

“I think in the end it’s really a question of feeling and driving style. I like a rear that moves so that I can use it to turn the car, other drivers suffer from this aspect,” he said. (Translated from Italian using Google Translate)

“The SF1000 had a rear that wasn’t very stable, and for me, that aspect was never a problem, but I can’t answer for Seb, it’s just an aspect that concerns my riding style.”

By the time curtain fell over the 2020 F1 season, Leclerc secured almost three times what Vettel scored. Luckily though, despite the poor run of form, Aston Martin’s attention grasped onto the 33-year-old solely for his experience with the championship-winning teams.

Charles Leclerc says he learned a lot from Sebastian Vettel

The Monegasque opened up about how Vettel made a substantial impact in his career as a Formula 1 driver. He revealed what he would miss about his teammate after sharing a team with him for two years. “Definitely, starting with his experience. In certain situations he had great analytical skills. And I think I learned a lot from Seb in this respect,” Leclerc said.

Ferrari is steadily recovering from the tough phase in 2020 and has made a decent leap in the on-track performance this year. Meanwhile, there is Aston Martin, which was among the teams that took a massive hit from F1’s aero changes.

Ultimately, the change in fortunes meant that both the teams are on a level field which could very well continue until the end of the 2021 F1 season.

Hence, this could be the best chance for Sebastian Vettel to finish ahead of Ferrari on the table and silence the critics that have been pulling him down ever since the 2018 German GP. But will he?

Also Read: Ferrari Never Loved Sebastian Vettel: Ecclestone