The 2020 F1 season witnessed four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, experience one of the most horrendous outings in his 15-year career. Initially, it looked like his form had taken a massive blow, considering his teammate, Charles Leclerc showed no signs of trouble taming the Ferrari.
Hence, this led to people questioning his ability to compete in F1, while a lot reckoned that he had gone past his prime. However, it looks like Vettel’s struggles had nothing to do with his form, but what the 2020 Ferrari car had to offer.
Amid the rise in hatred for Vettel’s on-track performance, Leclerc finally broke the silence on what was wrong with the SF1000.
What did Charles Leclerc say?
Speaking to Motorsport, the Monegasque opened up that Ferrari’s 2020 challenger suited his driving style, and reckoned that most of the drivers would have struggled with it.
“I think in the end it’s really a question of feeling and driving style. I like a rear that moves so that I can use it to turn the car, other drivers suffer from this aspect,” he said. (Translated from Italian using Google Translate)
“The SF1000 had a rear that wasn’t very stable. And for me, that aspect was never a problem, but I can’t answer for Seb. It’s just an aspect that concerns my riding style.”
By the time curtain fell over the 2020 F1 season, Leclerc secured almost three times what Vettel scored. Luckily though, despite the poor run of form, Aston Martin’s attention grasped onto the 33-year-old solely for his experience with the championship-winning teams.
Learned a lot from Seb: Leclerc
The Monegasque opened up about how Vettel made a substantial impact in his career as a Formula 1 driver. “Definitely, starting with his experience. In certain situations, he had great analytical skills. And I think I learned a lot from Seb in this respect,” Leclerc said.
Ferrari are steadily recovering from the tough phase in 2020 and have managed to make a decent leap in the on-track performance this year. Meanwhile, there are Aston Martin, who were one of the teams that took a massive hit from F1’s aero changes.
Ultimately, the change in fortunes meant that both the teams are on a leveling field, which could very well continue until the end of this season.
Hence, this could be the best chance for Sebastian Vettel to finish ahead of Ferrari on the table and silence the critics that have been pulling him down ever since the 2019 German GP. But will he?
Also Read: Ferrari Never Loved Sebastian Vettel: Ecclestone
The post ‘Wasn’t Very Stable’ – Charles Leclerc Hints Ferrari Was to Blame for Sebastian Vettel’s 2020 F1 Struggles appeared first on EssentiallySports.
