Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto claims there was never any risk associated with promoting Charles Leclerc to a race seat in 2019.
The Monegasque became the youngest man to drive for the Italian team in over half a century when he swapped places with Kimi Raikkonen after just a single year at Sauber.
His rapid rise also marked a change in approach from Ferrari, who historically had only chosen established drivers rather than put their confidence in youth.
“I don’t think we should think about the past, but look to the future, without regrets. We have partnered a young driver with a more experienced one, and it has worked.”, Binotto was quoted by PlanetF1.
“We are also a young team and as an approach, there is the desire to meet those with less experience. But back to Charles, we knew him and we knew that … no, it wasn’t a risk. ”
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The long-time Ferrari Academy member has been impressive during his first year in red, scoring two poles and five podiums, including narrowly missing out on victory twice.
Leclerc has also proven a worthy teammate to four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, and it has been that progression during the year which has caught his boss’ attention.
“We knew that Charles is a talent, we knew he was very strong because we saw him in GP3 and GP2”, Binotto said, with the 21-year-old winning both titles at the first attempt.
“Among the many aspects, the one that most surprised us is the continuous improvement that he manages to make race by race, it’s incredible how you learn from your mistakes.
“We have seen that his weekend on the track is becoming more solid and profitable, and he still has room for growth: it gives us confidence for the future.”
