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Charles Leclerc insists he is not a fan of playing political games with his fellow competitors and in particular, teammate Sebastian Vettel.
While Leclerc impressed at Ferrari at the opening couple of races, he has had a tougher time recently as Vettel has been getting the better of him.
MORE: Ferrari confirms it won't appeal Vettel's penalty | Jock Clear helping Leclerc with 'important' team communication
Last time out in Canada, the Monegasque driver stated that he was pleased with his pace throughout the race, as he secured his second career podium.
But the 21-year-old admits that he doesn't want to play political games in F1, affirming that it is 'not his style'.
"I just do my job on the circuit and I am satisfied with that myself. I certainly feel at ease with Ferrari," Leclerc told L'Equipe.
"I don't like political games at all. In fact, I hate that political act. That is not my style. I am friends with no one purely for the sole purpose of using it. I prefer good and natural friendships."
'Vettel making less mistakes than me'
Leclerc believes that Ferrari gained more respect for him after his race in Bahrain, where he was stripped of a sure win following a late-race engine issue.
The former Sauber understands that Vettel has priority over him due to his experience and knowledge within the team - but also the better results that he's been achieving.
“It is true that the situation after Bahrain has changed," Leclerc said."The team has more respect for me since I showed that I can win races.
“I understand there must be a certain hierarchy in a team like Ferrari. It is also clear to me that Seb is the favourite within the team because of his incredible experience.
"I must continue to do my job well by making fewer mistakes on the job. Seb simply makes fewer mistakes than I do."
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (5)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I hate that Charles is stuck with Ferrari. He is so unlike Ferrari. I truly worry that the politics and biases and ridiculous pressure at Ferrari will damage Charles. Not because Charles is weak, but because of the procedent with other promising drivers like Eddie Irvine, Reubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa, and Kimi Raikkonen (2nd stint). All of those drivers ended up being reduced to #2 drivers and never recovered
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yeah, but sadly all of the big 3 is kinda the same right now. Red Bull has as of late been the better option in that regard, but now that Max is their 1st driver they will surely implement similar traditions as Merc' and Ferrari. He will just have to "be a dragon" and ignore the politics and drama and just race. By all means cooperate, but when they ask you to let Vettel pass, say no.
emprisedll
Posts: 22
I still think that he needs to toughen up a little bit now that the Ferrari honeymoon period is over.
It will be interesting to see what happens after he takes his first win. I'm still not sure if he's hungry enough to become the next great champion.
Pistonhead
Posts: 556
I think the hunger could be there for sure, it's about channelling obvious talent into consistency. I liked it to golf, you need to learn course management to be any good at golf, it's not about the length of the drive, its about good choices. For me Charles isn't in the same ballpark as other younger drivers (yet), but he's a hell of a prospect. He needs a Snr partner to bring that management out of him, For that reason, he's not in a bad place - in summary 2019 a learning season, then in 2020 he must step up to show he is a leading driver in all conditions
Biggs7
Posts: 38
Yes Charles mustn't get involve in politics, this year is a learning curve for him he mustn't worry about position but he must position himself to be a champion not far from now.