In a special interview for German weekly sports magazine Sport Bild, Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel grades himself, Scuderia Ferrari and Charles Leclerc for their performance in the 2019 Formula One season. The school grade “1” is the best you can give someone (Germany uses a 5- or 6-point grading scale (GPA) to evaluate academic performance for the youngest to the oldest students. Grades vary from 1 – excellent, to 5 (resp. 6) – insufficient) and Sebastian gave Charles Leclerc a 1 for his 2019 season, so that means he really rates him highly. For comparison he gave himself a 2 and Ferrari a 2 as a team.
This interview was done in Sochi. Here are some of Sebastian Vettel’s answers:
What school grade would Sebastian Vettel give himself for the 2019 season with only 5 races left?
Seb: “As of today it would probably tend to be a 2-. I think it was okay overall. For me it’s important that I understand what happened this season. If you are honest with yourself – not only in sports – you always know if you have given everything or if you could have done something better. Not only during a race but also before or after it. I have no problem with criticism from outside. The question is always whether it is justified. That people form an opinion doesn’t bother me. I just don’t always have to be of the same opinion!”
What grade would you give Charles Leclerc?
Seb: “A 1. He had other prerequisites than me, it’s only his 2nd year in F1. I think things went a bit better for him than for me. Besides, I look at his performances from the outside, I can only see mine from the inside.”
What rating do you give your Ferrari team?
Seb: “The grade 2, because I see how much work is done in the factory. What the team does there and on the race track.”
What would have been important to you as a fan before?
Seb: “That the one I wanted wins (laughs).”
What has changed since your victory in Singapore – the first after 392 days?
Seb: “The questions (laughs). My feeling hasn’t changed since then. I try to press the personal reset button before every race to be concentrated. But I would lie if I said it didn’t do me any good. You just can’t make the mistake of thinking now all of a sudden everything would be fine.”
Did you doubt yourself or the team during this time?
Seb: “Self-reflection is the first step towards progress. I look at my performance in a very differentiated way and constantly think about where I can do something better. But I never doubted the team or myself.”
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