Hakkinen explains how Leclerc defeated Vettel at Ferrari F1 with huge margins

At the end of Kimi Raikkonen’s time at Ferrari, an F1 rookie was hired to partner with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. While most would have expected the latter to shine based on his experience, Leclerc became so much the team’s star driver that Ferrari decided to let go of the German before the start of the 2020 season.

How did a rookie manage to attract a driver who has won multiple championships? Mika Hakkinen explained why Leclerc came out on top during their partnership.

In Vettel’s last season at Ferrari, Leclerc left him far behind. While the German only earned 33 points and finished 13th in the championship, Charles took a respectable eighth place.

Formula 1 F1 – Pre-Season Testing – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 13, 2021 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action testing REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed

Hakkinen knows why Charles Leclerc beat Vettel

In an interview with UnibetFinland, the former F1 driver said: “When Leclerc came to Ferrari and beat Vettel, the only reason was that he understood the tires. He understood when the tires were best.

“And when the racing tires are the best, you can be half a second faster than a driver who doesn’t understand the tires. Half a second. We all know that half a second makes a big difference. Everything you just because you understand the tires. That’s the way it is. That was Leclerc’s strength.

“Can he continue with all the changes this year, does he still understand the tires?” Hakkinen closed.

Leclerc still believes that despite a good race in Bahrain, there is still a lot to do

In the first race of the season, Leclerc finished sixth with eight points. While the team had a good result in Bahrain, he believes there is still a lot to improve as the season progresses.

In an interview with Sky Italia after the race, as quoted by PlanetF1, he said: “I got off to a good start at the beginning of the race, then I managed to handle the tires quite well. Maybe we made the pit stop a little earlier, but we did that because we wanted to put our opponents under pressure.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Monaco Charles Leclerc and Ferrari watch in the paddock during the preview of the F1 Australian Grand Prix at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images)

“And we did it, but at the end of the race we suffered with the tires. I think we did pretty well in the race in general and the pace wasn’t too bad either, and that’s important. Then we are certainly not where we want to be.

“Every time we make progress we have to realize it, but there is still a lot to do,” concluded Leclerc.

The Maranello team got off to a great start, with both riders coming out on top, scoring 12 points for the team.

Will they improve before the next race?

Also read: Bahrain GP: Charles Leclerc praises Sainz for “Massive Pushing Me Massively” in qualifying