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Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc will be free to race

09:34, 14 Mar 2019

byMatt

Sebastian Vettel claims he and his new team-mate Charles Leclerc are free to race this season despite team principal Mattia Binotto saying Ferrari might favour Vettel.

Leclerc will begin just his second season in Formula 1 on Sunday. From the team meetings ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Vettel feels like the message from new boss Mattia Binotto is clear.

"It is very clear we are free to race. Charles will do his best for himself and the team - it is the same for me," Vettel said in the press conference this morning.

"We are racing for Ferrari, we are trying to get Ferrari back to where we have been trying to get it back to for the last two years."

Vettel's main rival, Lewis Hamilton, also confirmed that he and Valtteri Bottas are free to race in 2019. Last season, Bottas got off to a poor start which gave Hamilton the priority for the remainder of the season.

"It was said back at the factory and repeated [in a team meeting] today and that's how I like it," Hamilton said.

"It means we both have a fair shot. It has been the same every year. It is only when it's at a point when one driver doesn't have a shot to win the championship and I think that's great."