Charles Leclerc has the ability to beat Sebastian Vettel “right away” when he joins Ferrari in 2019, says former academy driver Raffaele Marciello.
The jury is still out on the Scuderia’s decision to promote the Monegasque alongside the four-time world champion next season despite his junior record and strong rookie year with Sauber.
However, the 20-year-old himself has already played down the additional pressure that will be upon him at Maranello and Marciello wonders if Vettel is ready for the threat Leclerc may pose.
“I am convinced that when Charles arrives at Ferrari, he will be able to beat him right away,” he was quoted by F1i.com.
Backing up his statement, the Italian pointed to 2014 and the difficulties he had alongside Daniel Ricciardo, who was in a situation very similar to Leclerc when he stepped up from Toro Rosso.
“Yes, and in the end, we saw it on track,” he said when asked if he thought the Australian was faster that year.
“Of course, one could argue and say that the car of that year was more suited to the characteristics of Daniel rather than those of Sebastian, but we can say what we want: a true champion must always know how to adapt.”
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When his dominance against Kimi Raikkonen in recent years was then suggested, Marciello also dismissed that comparison based on his own experience.
“When I drove during testing in Abu Dhabi in 2014, I was seven-tenths faster than Kimi, but those seven-tenths did not mean I was stronger than him,” he claimed.
“Simply, I had a great desire to get on track and push to the limit, Kimi maybe has lost this type of motivation. A good comparison can be made using Fernando [Alonso], who was always in front of Raikkonen.
“Sure, it is true that Vettel also beats Kimi, but not always and anyway the gap between them is less.”