Will Leclerc upstage Vettel in 2019?

With 41 days until the first race of the 2019 Formula 1 season, and the car reveals set to start within the next 2 weeks, it is time to start talking about the on track battles that will happen this year. Ferrari has under performed for the past 4 seasons since bringing Vettel on, so there is a much higher expectation in 2019 for the team to bring home the championship – something they haven’t done since 2007. With the management and driver changes at Ferrari over the off-season we’re in for a wild ride.

One of the most anticipated rivalries in the 2019 season is between Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and newcomer Charles Leclerc. Vettel is a 4 time world champion with Red Bull but since his move to Ferrari in 2015 he has not performed to the expectations…yet. Many people are putting the blame on everything except for Vettel – he wasn’t challenged by Kimi, he was let down by poor strategy and bad luck. We’ll see what happens in 2019 when Leclerc is his teammate. After Leclerc’s incerdible rookie season in 2018 with Sauber, many are expecting that Leclerc will have similar pace to Vettel and may even outperform the veteren driver.

As long as the management shuffle over the winter doesn’t hurt the team’s initial performance, I think that Leclerc will regularly challenge for wins, though not right away. By mid-season Leclerc will likely be outperforming Vettel after he gets a chance to get used to driving the Ferrari.

Will Leclerc spell the end of Vettel’s time at Ferrari? Will Vettel finally win his 5th driver’s championship? Let us know in the comments below!

Image source: Formula1.com