LEWIS: LECLERC IS A REBEL JUST LIKE ME
LEWIS HAmILTON has predicted that Ferrari face a rebellion for holding back their young thruster Charles Leclerc.
The Scuderia are favouring four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel over the 21-year-old, who is in his first season in red and his second in Formula One. That policy was made explicit in China a fortnight ago when they swapped their drivers around to Leclerc’s detriment.
There was plenty of tension in the Ferrari paddock HQ afterwards. Team principal mattia Binotto struggled to keep the peace.
Just as the emerging Hamilton’s pace was an irritant to his reigning double world champion team-mate Fernando Alonso at mcLaren in 2007, Leclerc is too talented to be a natural No2. He has scored one point fewer than Vettel, who is 31 adrift of Hamilton, despite disparity in their treatment.
‘I understand how Charles feels because in his heart he believes he is the best or has the potential to be the best,’ said Hamilton ahead of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
‘It is like having your light dimmed. As a racer, and as a fierce competitor, you naturally rebel. The team say to do one thing, but the fight in you wants to push the other way and do the opposite. I have experienced that.’
Leclerc obeyed an order not to pass Vettel in melbourne. When advised to wait to race the German in Bahrain, he felt he was so much faster that he defied his bosses. And then the China brouhaha.
Hamilton (left), who leads the championship from mercedes’ team-mate Valtteri Bottas by six points, added: ‘I wanted to get to Formula One as soon as possible and when I was there I wanted to win as soon as possible and beat the champion I was racing against, so the situation with Charles is very similar.
‘I see much of myself in him. He is doing a great job with high expectations at a huge team like Ferrari. He just has to keep doing what he is doing and it will come to him. For now, I am racing against both of Sebastian and Charles.’
Williams’ George Russell skipped his media duties yesterday with a respiratory illness, but the British rookie is expected to be fit for practice today.