Leclerc backed for F1 title fight in 2019

Charles Leclerc has been backed to fight for the Formula 1 championship in his debut season at Ferrari by long-time rival Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman believes his former karting foe has what it takes to hit the ground running after stepping up from Sauber and can lead a revolution in F1 alongside Pierre Gasly, set for Red Bull in 2019.

Leclerc has backed up GP3 and Formula 2 titles with an impressive rookie campaign, scoring points in seven races for a Sauber side second-bottom in the constructors' championship.

Sebastian Vettel has challenge Lewis Hamilton for honours in 2018, but Ocon expects Leclerc to muscle in on the fight between two drivers who will start next year with nine world championships between them.

"I think Charles will fight for the title next year, for sure," he said. "At least it won't be a surprise to me.

"You will see that Pierre and Charles are going to fight for wins and podiums. Probably the mentality of F1 is going to change with that, seeing that young drivers can do the job, too. That's only going to help the younger ones coming in.

"We've been fighting all the way through, to be honest, me Charles and Pierre. Me and Charles more than with Pierre, because Pierre started a bit later in karting, and in the French championship I was winning and then I was fighting with Charles, and Charles was arriving and he was a rookie.

"I know him pretty well. The first race we raced together was in 2005 in Mini Karts, we were seven or eight years old.

"We were first and second. I was on the inside and we crashed on the last corner of the last lap, so he didn't finish, and I finished like sixth or seventh. That was the first time we met.

"All our career we've been fighting like this together. I know he has a very good talent from day one. He's one of the quickest guys out there, and I think he will show that next year, definitely."

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