Charles Leclerc, Sebastian Vettel, 2018

Vettel: “No rush” for Leclerc to join Ferrari

2018 German Grand Prix

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Sebastian Vettel says Charles Leclerc doesn’t need to rush into a Ferrari seat amid mounting speculation he will take Kimi Raikkonen’s place for the 2019 F1 season.

Vettel said Leclerc, who is in his first season of Formula 1 with Sauber, has already demonstrated his capabilities.

“Charles, one way or the other, will have a great career,” said Vettel. “He’s a great guy. He’s fast, he’s got everything. So definitely, he has no rush. He’s young, but if you’re young you’re always in a rush with everything.”

Mercedes’ announcement that Lewis Hamilton will continue to drive for them next year has set the driver market for 2019 into motion. But Vettel indicated he doesn’t know when Ferrari will decide who his team mate will be.

“I don’t know when, what and ultimately who but as I said it really doesn’t matter to me. For me it’s clear where I am next but I think both of them would suit into the team.”

However Vettel said “doesn’t know Charles much” and is happy with Raikkonen as his team mate.

“I like Kimi. I think we get along. We have never any issues. Sometimes on track. I remember I drove into him, crashed into him.

“But I think the way we handle things is very similar, very straightforward, so I think it’s great to work with and great for the team, but it’s not my decision so we’ll see what happens.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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31 comments on “Vettel: “No rush” for Leclerc to join Ferrari”

  1. Gemma St. Ivans
    20th July 2018, 6:51

    I certainly hope Kimi stays. He’s doing so well this year

    1. F1 Fans: “Big rush” for Leclerc to join Ferrari

      1. Apologies, I didn’t intend for that to be a response to your post Gemma St. Ivans

        1. @aussierod we need an edit and delete buttons badly in here, I hope someday @keithcollantine will add them.

          1. I secnd thta.

  2. I think Leclerc is going to Haas to replace Grosjean. So he can experience a bigger team because Ferrari doesn’t hire young drivers so he can grow into his role. Ferrari want strong drivers because driving for them brings so much pressure.

    1. @macleod I think Leclerc has the potential to be a great champion, so the Haas option would be perfect for him, at least for a year. A more competitive car than the Sauber, but he wouldn’t have the pressure and expectations that comes when driving for Ferrari (or Mercedes, for that matter).

    2. I honestly think Sauber is a better place to be than Haas. Sauber are improving at a rapid rate, and could be as quick as Haas next year. Plus they actually develop their own car, so it might be a better learning experience for Charles to interact with engineers and designers within the team and gain more technical insight.

      1. lus they actually develop their own car, so it might be a better learning experience for Charles to interact with engineers and designers within the team and gain more technical insight.

        excellent point @todfod

    3. Big risk for Leclerc in a Haas. The team is a lot smaller than Sauber. Second, there is a high chance/risk that Magnussen will beat him badly.

      I’am sure the kids management people (his biggest asset so far) will tell that.

      But I hope it happens.

      1. Second, there is a high chance/risk that Magnussen will beat him badly.

        In recent races Charles has beating Kevin in far inferior machinery. I’m pretty sure he would own Kevin in the same equipment.

        1. “pretty sure” is not enough (if I was Leclerc). I would just continue to beat Ericsson (or another lower ratet driver) in a car many believes is a slow car (actually it’s on or close to par with Haas)

      2. I agree. Magnussen is a better race driver than Ericsson. If Leclerc were to loose the battle to him, he might risk losing the chance to join Ferrari. Staying at Sauber is probably the better choice.

  3. I find it hard to believe that the number one driver like Seb has no say or influence on who his team mate is or will be….
    Leclerc needs another season to learn…and Haas would be ideal, and give him a car similar to a ferrari

    1. Vettel surely has a say in this, and he would rather have Kimi as teammate next year because the fin is a known quantity. At best, Raikonen can challenge Seb and beat him into a podium, but most of the time he just gets along, accepts the lesser strategy, and plays the rear gunner role. With Charles, Vettel could be more challenged and under more pressure, which he doesn’t really like.

      1. +++ totally agree.

  4. ROFLMBO!!!! No rush? Really means?
    Don’t you even think about bringing in the most talented young driver to Ferrari!
    CL has the capability, ability & ambition to run the petulant one’s rs into the sunset!!!!

    1. +1 this is Seb’s laid back relaxed way of warning his team not to embarrass him like Red Bull did with Ricciardo and make him have to work hard and sweat for his position as de facto number 1.

      To be honest both Merc and Ferrari have given all the indications that they don’t want to destabilise their driver line ups which are both now aligned with a clear number 1 and a ‘good enough’ supporting driver.

      That gives them a problem with their young drivers, some of whom have the potential to be as good as their current number 1 drivers. They can’t bring in their young drivers while their current number 1 drivers are still there without causing the Ricciardo vs Vettel situation. Mercedes don’t want another Lewis vs Rosberg for a long time.

      Some of Merc and Ferrari’s young talent may have to wait too long for a chance and lose out like Pascal Wehrlein seems to have.

    2. Sooner or later Leclerc will be in a Ferrari, it is either 2019 or 2020, he will clash with Vettel.

      Of course you might have not thought that comment or read the article through.

      BTW what happened to “finger boy” I liked that one better

  5. Ferrari will wait till end of season to decide on this. They are not in a rush and if Kimi performs they might keep him. If they win the constructors championship; I think they will definitely keep Kimi on board.

  6. Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
    20th July 2018, 10:13

    Vettel: “No Rush” to get beaten by teammate again

  7. Where are you going to run when another young driver comes in and beats you Seb?
    Just like Danny Ricciardo did…..
    Of course he wants old man Kimi next to him to make him look good.
    First Bottas gets the Mercedes seat ahead of Dan, if Kimi re-signs with Ferrari im turning off from F1. Apparently mediocrity is what the top teams want with their second driver….
    Instead of 4 drivers having a red hot crack in 4 top cars (2 teams) we will have the same 2 fighting (with their same B grade team mates)

    1. Yes, because a proven World Champion and a driver who could be leading the championship if not for mechanical issues are “mediocre”. And Ricciardo who is being out-qualified every week is currently doing so much better.

  8. This inevitably prompts “he’s scared of Leclerc’-type responses. But considering how well things are going for Vettel and Ferrari you can see why he’d be against changing anything.

    Raikkonen doesn’t look like he’s about to win another championship but he’s an excellent number two and a very good development driver.

    1. It is indeed logical under that angle. Ferrari won’t go for an internal challenge and less development.

    2. Come on, @keithcollantine, stop with the conspiracy theories. Ferrari have clearly said they don’t have number one and number two drivers. You’re not implying that Ferrari are lying, are you?

  9. Vettel: “Leclerc shouldn’t hurry to join Ferrari, and I get along with Kimi. I don’t mind anyone as my teammate.”

    Hamboys: He just wants a bad teammate and he picks who he wants, Ferrari have no say.

    🙄

    You’d swear you guys really believe he’s the CEO of Scuderia Ferrari. And let’s not even mention the jumping to conclusions.

    1. @ho3n3r, to play devil’s advocate though, what incentive or benefit is there for Vettel, or any other driver in a similar position, to say anything different? No driver is ever going to publicly say “I don’t want him coming to my team because I’m scared he might beat me”, for example, or want to say that they won’t get along with another driver given the risk that it might make them look like a difficult person to work with.

      As things stand, his position within the team is such that maintaining the status quo is going to be to his benefit – Leclerc, from his point of view, is an unknown quantity and one that could upend the current relationship that he has with his team.

      Depending on the terms of his contract, he might not be able to explicitly tell the team whom he does and doesn’t as a team mate want but, just like any other driver within their respective teams, I highly doubt that he will be sitting back and passively doing nothing within the team either, nor that any personal arguments put forth by Vettel in private would be completely ignored by Ferrari’s senior management.

  10. Let Leclerc stay at Sauber for one more year at least and let him learn the ropes in an area where there isn’t much pressure.There is no more pressure in F1 than driving for Ferrari. If you fail there your career is pretty much destined to be spend in midfield teams. Mclaren and Perez being the example. The talks of having a Ferrari seat were all around the paddock, but after one failed year at Mclaren it was never brought up again. Not even a whisper of it.

    Since people love to bring up Bottas and Verstappen what if results, let’s do the same for Kimi.

    A botched pitstop in Bahrain and a DNF in Spain cost about 20 points at least. He’s doing well enough and this is the first time in years since rejoining Ferrari that on performance I’d give him a contract for next year.

    My only critisism on Kimi is that he should string his Q3 laps together more often. Too many times he starts on the backfoot because of a bad Q3.

  11. Let Leclerc stay at Sauber for one more year at least and let him learn the ropes in an area where there isn’t much pressure.There is no more pressure in F1 than driving for Ferrari. If you fail there your career is pretty much destined to be spend in midfield teams.

    Mclaren and Perez being the example. The talks of having a Ferrari seat were all around the paddock, but after one failed year at Mclaren it was never brought up again. Not even a whisper of it.

    Since people love to bring up Bottas and Verstappen what if results, let’s do the same for Kimi.

    A botched pitstop in Bahrain and a DNF in Spain cost about 20 points. He’s doing well enough and this is the first time in years since rejoining Ferrari that on performance I’d give him a contract for next year.

    My only critisism on him is that he should string his Q3 laps together more often. Too many times he starts on the backfoot because of a bad Q3.

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