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In 2019, Sebastian Vettel endured a nightmare that almost never seemed to end, and he finished the year in 5th in the championship. Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc put in an impressive display and mopped the floor with his 4-time world champion partner. However, Ferrari are are still hopeful that Sebastian Vettel can redeem himself in 2020 and will help him in any way they can.

To that end, team principal Mattia Binotto revealed that the 2020 Ferrari will be tailored around Vettel’s driving style. However it does raise the question about where that leaves Leclerc, because Ferrari still appears to consider Vettel as the number 1 driver.

Taking the McLaren team as an example, when Lewis Hamilton debuted in F1 and posed a threat to his teammate Fernando Alonso, the Woking team switched priorities. However, Scuderia Ferrari are still stuck in the past and have yet to acknowledge that Leclerc is the future.

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“We will design a car that is more in line with Sebastian’s driving style. With more downward pressure on the back,” Binotto told Motorsport.com.

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via Imago

The Ferrari boss went on to try and justify his decision by suggesting that Vettel struggled with the lack of downforce despite having more speed. However, after the summer break, Sebastian Vettel was able to pull up his socks, as the team made adjustments to the car and it suited the German.

What does the Sebastian Vettel Treatment mean for Charles Leclerc?

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According to Binotto, Sebastian Vettel is at the heart of the Ferrari project and is highly experienced and knows the team well. The Italian also said that Charles Leclerc has learned a lot from Vettel from his single season in Ferrari

Though in all honesty, Leclerc should feel insulted about Ferrari’s attempts to pacify and cater to his teammate. He has done all he can to prove himself as faster than Vettel and Ferrari  need to learn to back their young talent and take a risk that might pay off. Vettel is clearly past his prime and Ferrari will continue to finish in second place until they focus on Leclerc.