F1 News
Charles Leclerc continues to hand Sebastian Vettel number 1 driver status
At the start of the season, Charles Leclerc made it clear he would accept that Sebastian Vettel is the number one driver at Ferrari. The man from Monaco is still relaxed about the current status as he doesn't want "political games" to take over.
The young Ferrari driver has been thrown many challenges during the 2019 Formula 1 season. He's fallen the wrong side of team orders, and pressure forced errors put him on the back foot. He was also left in the garage in Q1 Monaco forcing him to start the race from the bottom five.
“I just do my job on the circuit and I am satisfied with that myself. Do I have a lot of support from the fans? Say it. I certainly feel at ease with Ferrari," Leclerc told France's L'Equipe.
"I don't like political games at all. In fact, I hate that political act. That is not my style. I am friends with no one purely for the sole purpose of using it. I prefer good and natural friendships."
Leclerc should've, could've, would've won the Bahrain Grand Prix had it not been for the engine failure which caused him to lose a significant amount of power. A safety car stopped him falling off the podium, but he believes that race changed the situation in the Ferrari garage.
Lewis Hamilton gave Leclerc some respect for that drive and told him he'll win many races in the future. Those thoughts were echoed from the Ferrari team members.
“It is true that the situation after Bahrain has changed. The team has more respect for me since I showed that I can win races.
“I understand there must be a certain hierarchy in a team like Ferrari. It is also clear to me that Seb is the favourite within the team because of his incredible experience. I must continue to do my job well by making fewer mistakes on the job. Seb simply makes fewer mistakes than I do."
