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Sauber: Leclerc "under pressure" next season against Hamilton

13:27, 04 Nov 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

Sauber team principal Fred Vasseur has said that the comparisons between his Ferrari-bound driver Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton are unfair, adding that the Monegasque will be under pressure next season competing with the Brit.

Leclerc was announced to be replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2019 a few months ago to many people's surprise, as the 21-year-old hasn't even completed a full season in Formula 1 yet. He has shown that he's a special talent, however, setting the grid alight this season with several stellar performances for Sauber, drawing comparisons with all kinds of great drivers in the media.

The Monegasque's current team principal Fred Vasseur doesn't think that comparisons to drivers like Hamilton should be made, though.

"I don’t compare Charles [Leclerc] today with people such as Lewis [Hamilton]," Vasseur was quoted by F1i.com.

“First of all, Lewis was more than ten years ago and he drove for McLaren, and they were a title contender, so there was a big aspect of differences at the same stage, with Lewis.

"When Charles joined us [Sauber] we were at the back of the grid, so Charles’ approach was a completely different one. It was much easier to start with Sauber, I think. He struggled a little bit on his first appearance, with so little testing. But step by step, the pace was quite fast and he improved a lot in his management skills.

“The most difficult point is the management of the car, and working with the engineers, and that was perhaps a bit difficult in the first weeks, but then he improved quite fast. Up against Lewis next year, he is under pressure.”

Whether Leclerc can thrive under this pressure at Ferrari, Vasseur doesn't know, but he does know that all the tools are there for his pupil to succeed.

"Will he surprise? You never know, because at first it will depend on the value of the car that is in your business; it is always relative, but the car is improving, Charles is improving and everything is there on the table for him.”