Charles Leclerc admits he didn't expect to outscore Sebastian Vettel in 2019
F1 News
- Bobby Vincent
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc has admitted he did not expect to outscore his team-mate Sebastian Vettel during his debut season with the Italian team.
Leclerc switched to Ferrari after an impressive rookie season with Sauber in 2018 and in his first season with Ferrari, the Monegasque driver outscored the German four-time world champion by 24 points.
As well as that, the youngster beat Vettel in the qualifying head-to-head (12-9) in his opening season with Ferrari. This is something that came as a surprise to Leclerc, with the 22-year-old admitting he was left shocked by his own performance.
"No, I did not have that confidence," Leclerc said to GPToday. "You always thought that if I do the job correctly that success would come. Seb is a four-time world champion, so it would be difficult to believe it.
"There have been mistakes and I have learnt from them and they will help me improve for next season."
Many believed Leclerc would come and be Vettel's "number two driver", much like Kimi Raikkonen was before being replaced, but the former Sauber man was outperforming the 32-year-old consistently throughout the season.
The pair did clash at times, too - most noticeably at the Brazilian Grand Prix - where the duo made contact on a straight and therefore had to retire after both suffering punctures to their tyres.