Ecclestone: Ferrari should have kept Raikkonen
Bernie Ecclestone still thinks Ferrari should have kept Kimi Raikkonen in 2019.
A friend of Sebastian Vettel's, former F1 supremo Ecclestone thinks Finn Raikkonen was a better number 2 driver than Charles Leclerc is.
"I thought Ferrari made a mistake by releasing Kimi," he told France's Auto Hebdo.
"He was a good teammate and didn't create any problems. He knew what he had to do.
"If he was asked to let Sebastian pass, he would. If he was asked to slow down a bit to stop an opponent and help the team, he would.
"I'm not sure Charles is ready for that job," Ecclestone added.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff agrees with Ecclestone that while Leclerc is clearly good, he has created a problem for Ferrari this year.
"Leclerc is a future world champion, he could even do it this year," he told Auto Bild.
"Ferrari has a moral problem now," added Wolff.
"On the other hand they have to support their four time champion, but on the other they cannot slow down their super talent, especially as Charles has the emotion on his side after his back luck in Bahrain.
"It may well be that Ferrari want to give back his stolen victory. I would think about it," he said.
Former F1 driver David Coulthard, meanwhile, tips Vettel to fight back this weekend in China.
"It's normal for the younger generation to challenge the old guard, but I don't think Seb is necessarily the old guard," he said. "He didn't get the car right in Bahrain.
"Nothing is decided yet."
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Leclerc did not create a problem to Ferrari the problem is Vettel stayng nº1, he doesn't deserve, for me is time to bet in Leclerc and demanding Vettel to be nº2 and help the monegasque, if Vettel don't acept than replace him. I always had suported Vettel but in Bahrein i saw he is not the same he was and is time to choose another racing sport.
What about this scenario: the new Ferrari team, at some point, to be: Hamilton + Leclerc; the Mercedes team to be: Verstappen + Bottas. Have to find a team for Vettel, or maybe he calls it a day in F1?
Interesting comments: it seems like the posters have narrowed (reduced) the F-1 ills to Sebastian Vettel.
The obverse side of that logic, of course, is that the fans are punishing Vettel for not living to their expectations. Isn't that exactly the problem: the fans not knowing what can be expected from a driver?
Sorry to say this but you're wrong again Simon!
I take comfort in knowing that you disagree with me. I, also, disagree with your claim to be sorry about my being wrong. If, miraculously, I turned out to be right I would imagine you tearing your skirt to shreds and putting ashes on your hair.
Think Mario Ben and Simon should stop blabbering from their sleep and wait until they see what Vettel can do
Robert, Is English a second language to you? You evidently missed the point of what I said, let alone your rudeness about "blabbering."