Charles Leclerc is eager to fight with Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel for the Formula 1 title in 2020.
The Monegasque made his mark by beating the four-time world champion in his first season at the Italian team, scoring two wins and seven poles, though it did lead to some tensions with the pair notably colliding in Brazil.
But as Ferrari look to once again close the gap to Mercedes, who got the early jump on their rivals last season, Leclerc now wants to raise the stakes against Vettel, playing down concerns of trouble at the Scuderia.
“Our relationship is better than what many people see. There is a great desire to win but also a maturity,” Leclerc was quoted by GPToday.
“Seb is a great champion with a lot of experience, and facing him at Ferrari has been a great challenge and opportunity for me.”
Also Read:
- Ocon not surprised by Leclerc at Ferrari: ‘I said he would beat Vettel!’
- Ferrari will continue to manage Vettel & Leclerc during 2020
- Vettel no longer among the best due to Ferrari politics, Marko claims
As for the impact he made in 2019, the 22-year-old admits the achievements even surprised him.
“I never expected a debut like this at Ferrari. It was more positive than I expected,” Leclerc said.
“I knew it was a challenge but also an opportunity. I especially did not expect the seven poles. Next year? I would really like to be able to fight for the title with Seb.”
Perhaps there is no better proof of how impressive Charles has been at Ferrari than the fact it is Vettel under scrutiny for whether he can still compete in 2020, with the role of the German seen as crucial to any championship aspirations the team has.
“Leclerc is a driver who can win, a tough guy in the races and intelligent, who learns from his mistakes and can become a champion,” former president Luca di Montezemolo told Sky Italia.
“Certainly there have been moments that have had a negative impact on the team, the drivers must know that they are not running for themselves as I said once to [Rubens] Barrichello.
“It takes clarity, a lot of willingness of both to realize this. This is a great responsibility that [team boss Mattia] Binotto and the team will have, a delicate issue.
“Vettel must be calm, have confidence in his abilities, which are very strong. He must have a very open dialogue with the team. When it comes to the end of contracts there are delicate years.”
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle packed no punches, however, in his assessment of Vettel going forward.
“You can’t take anything away from him,” F1i.com quoted him as telling ‘The Collecting Cars’ podcast.
“What I think he’s always had is somehow a lack of judgement in wheel-to-wheel combat, and it’s showing up more and more as he gets older.
“He’s still got the speed. Some of his qualifying laps are outstanding, just lightning fast,” he insists.
“I think he’s got the pace, you wouldn’t race him off, and you wouldn’t change him in a hurry for an unknown, but his best is behind him.”