Leclerc Still Puzzled by Vettel’s Awful 2020 Ferrari F1 Season

Scuderia Ferrari had a dismal season last year. Finishing in 6th place with just 131 points, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc struggled through the year to trouble the teams at the top.

With Vettel moving on to Aston Martin, Leclerc now has a new teammate in Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. However, while there were several issues with the SF1000, Leclerc remains confused by his former teammate’s season last year.

Charles Leclerc hopes Vettel can bounce back this season

Last season, Ferrari’s package under-delivered on multiple levels. Despite that, Leclerc scored 98 out of Ferrari’s 131 points, with Vettel only managing 33. During 2019, their first season together, the Monegasque outshined Vettel across multiple race weekends, having taken the first win for Ferrari in Belgium. This has led many to believe that Vettel is now past his prime.

One can attribute poor form to multiple reasons which, at the moment, Leclerc cannot decipher for Vettel. However, he spoke highly of his former teammate and hopes 2021 can be a turning point for him.

The 23-year-old said, “I can’t tell what went wrong for Seb last year. I hope he has a good season this year.” (Quotes translated from German by Google)

The move to Aston Martin may benefit Vettel in the long run. However, at the moment, it looks far from beneficial to the 4-time world champion.

Leclerc: Current collaboration has been constructive so far

With Carlos Sainz as his new teammate, Ferrari now have the second-youngest driver lineup in their history. At an average age of 24.5 years, the Maranello-based outfit now believe that infusing younger blood will get them to the heights they want to achieve. So far, Leclerc believes both drivers are moving in the right direction to take the Scuderia closer to the top.

Leclerc said, “We’re pushing ourselves, spent a lot of time in Maranello before the season, trying to move the team in the right direction. It has been a very constructive collaboration so far.” (Quotes translated from German by Google)

With Leclerc P4 and the Spaniard P6 on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari look set to have a successful weekend. Will they bring joy to the Tifosi at the chequered flag?