Charles Leclerc may have the ability to shift Ferrari’s focus away from Sebastian Vettel in 2019, Jenson Button has claimed.
The four-time Formula 1 champion has been considered as the lead driver at the Scuderia since 2015, however, the decision to promote the 21-year-old from Sauber has been seen by some as a change in approach.
And with Vettel failing to beat Lewis Hamilton to the title in the past two years, the former Honda, Brawn and McLaren driver believes the opportunity is there for Leclerc to exploit any cracks between team and driver.
“It’s a very different atmosphere for Sebastian at Ferrari than it was at Red Bull,” Button told Sky Sports. “Maybe there’s more pressure. We’re going to see how he copes, it’s going to be a big year for Sebastian.
“When Daniel came into Red Bull he found it difficult. Daniel put him under a lot of pressure and actually outperformed him.
“I think if Charles can do that this year it’s a tough decision of where Sebastian is going to go for the future and what he’s going to do.”
It isn’t just his performances that the Monegasque could use to influence Ferrari either, Button thinks how he works with the team at Maranello can also be critical.
“Charles seems such a happy-go-lucky guy, really relaxed, and I think the team are really going to take to him,” he said. “And that sometimes can hurt the other driver.”
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2016 world champion Nico Rosberg agrees Vettel will need to perform better under pressure this season, but he warns Leclerc’s arrival may not work as Ferrari expect.
“They’ve made some major changes,” he commented to the British broadcaster. “They’ve changed [team boss Maurizio] Arrivabene and put in [Mattia] Binotto, so they’ve made a change in the highest position there.
“Also with Sebastian’s new teammate, Leclerc, that could also be a very, very positive dynamic, but it could also be negative and backfire! So it’s going to be awesome to watch.
“They just need to step it up, but they can do it. It’s going to be great to follow again.”
