Berlin (AP) - Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc has recognized his outgoing Ferrari stable rival Sebastian Vettel.
"I've never learned so much as with you as my teammate," wrote the 22-year-old Monegasse on Twitter. "It was a great honor for me to be your teammate." Shortly before, Scuderia announced that the 32-year-old Vettel would leave the Italians after six years at the end of the year and that the four-time world champion's contract would not be renewed.
"We had some tense moments on the track. Some very good ones and others that didn't end the way we both wanted them to be. But there was always respect, even if it wasn't perceived from the outside," wrote Leclerc. The youngster only came to Ferrari last year and sportily outperformed Vettel. In the World Cup standings, he was fourth in 2019 ahead of Hesse. The Scuderia quickly made it clear that he owned the future and equipped Leclerc with a new contract before the end of 2024 before Christmas.
There were tough duels on the track - including accidents and disputes over the status of internal number one. Leclerc now also posted two photos together, one of the German's victory in Singapore last year and wrote: "Thank you for everything, Seb." The success on the street circuit in Asia was Vettel's only triumph last year.
