Marciello: Leclerc could beat Vettel at Ferrari
Charles Leclerc could emerge as Ferrari's number 1 driver as quickly as 2019.
That is the view of racing driver Raffaele Marciello, a former member of Ferrari's driver 'academy'.
Today, 20-year-old Leclerc is Ferrari's top academy member, and has received a promotion from Sauber to the top Maranello team for next year.
And Marciello thinks Sebastian Vettel could be in trouble.
"In the Red Bull years he (Vettel) had Mark Webber behind him but he (Webber) was not a champion and the car was better than all the others," he told AS newspaper.
He also recalls Vettel's final year at Red Bull, when Daniel Ricciardo was faster.
"A champion must always adapt rather than suffer from the pressure which is what we are seeing from Vettel today," Marciello said.
"The comparison with Kimi is also not reliable, because when I did the Abu Dhabi test in 2014, I was seven tenths faster.
"I think maybe Kimi lost some motivation a few years ago.
"Personally I don't think Vettel was ever on par with Hamilton, Alonso or even Kubica. I am convinced that when Leclerc is at Ferrari, he will immediately be able to beat Sebastian."
However, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve says that while 2019 is a "great opportunity" for Leclerc, it is also a "risk" for Ferrari.
"Ferrari is the toughest team in psychological terms to drive for," he told the Dutch magazine Formule 1.
"A driver there really feels the pressure. We saw it with Prost, Mansell and now even Vettel is suffering."
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Vettel always makes mistakes under pressure as demonstrated this ytear and in teh past. He seems to be able to win when he is in a superior car or position which is not necessarily of his making so to see Leclerc beat Vettel will not be surprising if he is up to it and matures a lttle with less mistakes.
Not too long ago one poster here, who didn't seem to have much good to say about Leclerc, and the young drivers in general, said how Vettel would eat Leclerc alive. And what if Leclerc orders Vettel well-done and then eats him!?
Another unfair attack on Vettel's ability to win. No victories were handed over to him as he had more than once worked his way up to the top and delivered victories for his team and mistakes he made just show his human side. Yes Leclerc is a new kid on the block just as Seb was ten years ago and he wants to win.