Vettel backs Leclerc future at Ferrari
Vettel backs Leclerc future at Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel has backed Charles Leclerc as a future Ferrari driver after the rookie's impressive start to life in Formula 1 with Sauber. Vettel's fellow four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was also on hand to offer Leclerc advice as he tries to crack F1.
Leclerc has entered F1 with serious pedigree, having won titles in GP3 and Formula 2 in each of the past two years.
The Monegasque driver has been part of Ferrari's academy since March 2016 and has been tipped as a potential replacement for Kimi Raikkonen when the Finnish veteran's deal expires at the end of the year.
READ MORE: Leclerc on Senna & Schumacher comparisons
READ MORE: Hamilton keeping Mercedes waiting over new deal
Having scored points in the past two races with Sauber, Vettel says Leclerc is doing everything he can to prove his worth to the House of Maranello.
"I think the hype is absolutely justified," Vettel said at a pre-Monaco GP press conference with Leclerc also sat at the table.
"If there's no hype around him, then I don't understand who should be hyped because you walk through all the categories like that, then you belong here.
"But I think the advice to him is not to listen, just get on with it and just enjoy it.
"The cars that we're driving are the fastest cars in the world and that's what you should be looking for, not all the noise that sometimes happens around. I think it's important that you're here, you know why you want to be here. You look at what's really important to you. The rest is not that much of your concern.
"I'm not signing who is sitting next to me but [you should] probably ask Maurizio. Yeah, I don't see why not [racing alongside Leclerc in the future].
"I think the races he's had so far, he used his opportunities, he scored points with a car that doesn't belong in the points so he's doing everything he can at the moment."
Hamilton also preached the need for Leclerc to enjoy his time in F1, and praised his journey to the top.
"I've been watching him coming through and what he's done in the last couple of years has been great to see," Hamilton added.
"I sit with the team bosses and engineers and we watch the lower categories and always looking out for that shining talent to come through.
"Ultimately Formula 1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of the sport, which it is, but it's supposed to have the best drivers from around the world and in all honesty, you couldn't say that there's the best drivers – the 100 per cent best drivers – from all the nations around the world.
"So it's just really great to see a really talented kid come through, that's really just earned his way, like he really has the potential to do great things here and you can't say that about every kid that's come through in the past years and ultimately it's very, very difficult because it's such an expensive sport."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 19 minutes ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 1 hour ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as Red Bull dominated in sprint qualifying
- 3 hours ago
FIA stewards ROB Hamilton pole after bizarre U-turn
- Today 10:58
F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 times as Verstappen stunned in rainy CHAOS
- Today 10:27
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860