The announcement we were expecting was confirmed earlier this week. Charles Leclerc will be replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari for the 2019 season. The announcement we weren’t expecting however, was that Raikkonen will be re-joining Sauber, signing a two year contract with the team.
A lot of people have criticised the move, saying that Leclerc is not experienced enough to take a seat at Ferrari and challenge for race wins and world titles.
Leclerc’s inexperience showed during FP1 for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, where he crashed out on the Anderson Bridge after turning into the corner too early.
Leclerc’s pace is not to be questioned though, he has mixed it with some of the best drivers on the grid, including Fernando Alonso in Azerbaijan, just four races into his career.
And now his new team boss has defended the move to promote him to Ferrari, citing the long-term benefits for the team.
Maurizio Arrivabene said: “When you make some choices like this, that are related to the driver, you don’t have to look only at the short-term commitment but also at the long-term commitment.
“A long-term commitment means it’s not only for next year, it’s for the future of the team – how you are going to grow a young talent, and what you want to expect from him for the future.
“This has nothing to do with the respect that I have for Kimi, which is great, as a human being and a driver. If you have to do a choice, thinking about the future of the team, I think we made the right choice, for us and for Kimi.”
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