Scuderia Ferrari’s decision to replace Kimi Raikkonen with the young Charles Leclerc from the 2019 Formula One season, which is rumored to have been made by Sergio Marchionne, has given rise to a series of opposing opinions. While there are those who believe that the experience of the Finnish driver would have been useful for the team next year (also ensuring stability in the team), other authoritative voices praised the decision of the Maranello team, finally courageous in the choice of young drivers.
Among those who have praised Charles Leclerc is the former Scuderia Ferrari (and Williams) driver Felipe Massa, who came close of winning the F1 title with the Italian side back in 2008. In an interview for the newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Brazilian said: “They did well [to promote Leclerc]. Apart from his talent, Charles has an incredible mind and discipline and, in my opinion, he is even more mature than Max Verstappen”.
Felipe Massa also goes even further, and foresees great successes for the Monegasque racing driver alonsgide Ferrari: “I am convinced that one day he will become world champion and with Sebastian Vettel they will push each other. I think Ferrari has a good pair for 2019”.
The enthusiasm shown by Felipe Massa regading Charles Leclerc’s move to Ferrari is partially mitigated by Gerhard Berger, who, although considers the Monegasque a a promising driver, thinks that he still needs to accumulate experience: “Charles is an excellent driver. However, I think the first year he will still be in the learning phase. With his experience, Vettel should be ahead of him.” – Gerhard Berger explained, as reported by German daily newspaper Tagesspiegel.
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