Vettel faces battle for number one spot

Cesare Fiorio believes Sebastian Vettel faces a huge battle from Charles Leclerc to hold on to his position as number one driver at Ferrari, following the opening two Grand Prix of the season.

Leclerc dominated in Bahrain but was unfortunate when he suffered a short circuit which caused him to finish first. Vettel meanwhile finished fifth at the last race after he span out following a battle with Lewis Hamilton.

At just 21, Leclerc has shown composure beyond his years whilst Vettel continues to make mistakes that have plagued his title challenges over the last few years.

With Leclerc making such an impact Fiorio believes the German faces a battle but he’s not surprised it has happened.

Speaking to Tutti Motori Web the former chief said: “Frankly, I expected it.

“Last year I followed Leclerc very carefully with Alfa Romeo and saw that, after the first four or five races in which he learned his trade, he started to dominate the team, to humiliate his teammate and deliver great results for that car.

“Therefore, when he arrived at Ferrari, I immediately thought it would be a big problem for Vettel, who is a driver who mistakes when he is put under pressure.”