Ross Brawn does not believe that the chemistry within Scuderia Ferrari will be as strong as it was when Kimi Räikkönen was partnering Sebastian Vettel now that Charles Leclerc has come in to replace the Finn.
Räikkönen has switched to Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for 2019 with Leclerc going the other way, with the Monegasque racer joining Ferrari for just his second season in Formula 1 after a promising rookie campaign where he scored thirty-nine points.
Brawn, Formula 1’s Motorsport boss and a former Ferrari chief, reckons that Vettel will not have the same kind of relationship with Leclerc as he did with Räikkönen, particularly as the newest Ferrari driver will likely not be as happy to play second fiddle to the German as the Finn often did.
“I don’t imagine Charles Leclerc is going to be quite as accommodating as Kimi was on occasions,” said Brawn to Formula1.com. “Kimi is his own man, don’t get me wrong, but I think Kimi knew what the lay of the land was in the team.
“Seb had a mixed 2018. He’s had some very good performances, and played a big part in taking the team forward, but in the end, Seb and the team didn’t deliver. They had a strong year but they have got to make that next step and deliver – and that’s Seb and the team.
“I don’t know the dynamic or chemistry in the team or Seb’s relationship in the team or how that all works. He made one or two errors, which is unfortunate but with drivers, that can happen. The team seemed to make a wrong turn technically for several races and then they came back again to an older spec which corrected their form.”
