Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he sees a lot of his “younger self” in former team-mate Charles Leclerc, whom the German remained close with despite departing Ferrari at the end of 2020.
The two drivers were team-mates during the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Ferrari, with the duo having been at very different stages of their career.
For Leclerc, he was making his anticipated step up from Alfa Romeo following a successful rookie season, with Ferrari having high hopes that the 25-year-old would lead them into the future.
For Vettel, Leclerc’s arrival marked a time when his relationship with the Italians was starting to show cracks, something which ultimately saw him switch to Aston Martin in 2021.
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Vettel and Leclerc’s relationship was an interesting one, as the pair scrapped for the number one role, which did result in the occasional coming together, most notably at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Despite their on-track incidents, the pair remained close off-circuit and have remained friends ever since, with Vettel admitting that he “enjoyed” partnering Leclerc, who was like his “younger self”.
“Charles came in at just a very different time in his career and his life,” Vettel said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“It was funny, because I watched him and we got along really well. I think I really enjoyed the time we spent together. But it was a little bit as if I was looking at my younger self and it did take a little bit of time to understand that.
“Because obviously, my target was not to just win a race, I’ve done that. My target was to win the Championship and ideally win the Championship the way I wanted to win the Championship, which is winning many, many races. So maybe I lost myself a little bit in that process.”
Leclerc is yet to deliver Ferrari the Championship that the Maranello-based side expects from him; however, the Monegasque has grown in stature every season since his rookie campaign in 2018.
2023 looks set to be a promising one for Ferrari should they play their cards right, and not fall into the trap of making strategic errors once again.
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Vettel is certain that Leclerc has “something special” and is capable of doing things behind the wheel that many can’t, especially in qualifying.
“I think Charles has been something special,” Vettel said.
“Just the amount of talent and how he manages in just one lap, particularly in qualifying, to squeeze pace out of himself, the car was nice to see.”