Esteban Ocon had a smile on his face after Charles Leclerc did exactly what he predicted at Ferrari in 2019.
Such had been the Monegasque’s rise that many did feel he could prove at least a handful for Sebastian Vettel at the Scuderia in his first season with the exploits of Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull in 2014 backing up those claims.
Two wins, seven poles later, Leclerc would outscore the four-time world champion by 24 points to finish fourth in the Drivers’ standings.
“Charles deserves what happens to him and it’s not a surprise to me,” F1i.com quoted Ocon as telling NextGen Auto
“I said if he had the car to win races and poles, he would. I also said he would finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel.”
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Ocon himself is preparing for a comeback to F1 next year with Renault following a year on the sidelines at Mercedes and the Frenchman explained why he was so convinced by Leclerc’s potential.
“We fought our whole careers together – with him, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly – to get there [to F1],” he said.
“It is also what allowed us to raise our level, and which motivated us to always do better.”
Also paying tribute to Leclerc is his manager Nicholas Todt, who revealed his decision to help the 22-year-old likely saved his F1 dream.
“I signed Charles at 14,” the son of FIA president Jean told Motorsport-Magazin. “He should have stopped karting because he ran out of money. I decided to help him.
“I introduced him to Ferrari a few years ago and today he drives there. No one can say that he got there just like that, he’s there because we did the job.
“For me, someone like Charles is my greatest pride, the fact that he went there and delivered.”