When Sebastian Vettel’s sweet message to Charles Leclerc calling him ‘most talented’ went VIRAL
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were teammates for three long years at Ferrari when Seb could gauge the young Monegasque's talent behind the wheels.
Former German Formula 1 racer Sebastian Vettel might have left the sport at the end of the 2022 season over a year ago, but his legacy still lives on. The ex-F1 four-time World Champion has given the fans some of their most memorable moments in the pinnacle of motorsports, and they have mostly come from his tenure at Red Bull and then at Ferrari. After spending a brilliantly successful run at the Austrian team from 2009 to 2013, the German shifted to the Maranello outfit in 2014.
At Ferrari, Vettel was paired with Kimi Raikkonen, another World Champion who had clinched the title in 2007. But Raikkonen relegated to a seat at Alfa Romeo at the end of the 2018 campaign. Then, young talent Charles Leclerc was recruited to partner Vettel as a Scuderia driver. The two remained teammates for quite a long time until Vettel left Ferrari for Aston Martin in 2021. And it was then that he left a very special parting gift for Charles–his own racing helmet which he used at the last race he drove for Ferrari, etched with his own sweet message for the young Monegasque.
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc swapped their helmets as a nice gesture to commemorate the German’s last Grand Prix with Ferrari. On the helmet that Seb gave to Charles, he mentioned some encouraging words to help the racer find his potential.
To Charles, you are the most talented driver I came across in 15 years of F1. Don't waste it. But be sure whatever you do to be happy and smile. Thanks for everything!Sebastian Vettel said to Charles Leclerc, via Twitter.
Charles Leclerc responded to Sebastian Vettel’s overwhelming message by taking to Twitter
Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel were very respectful of each other during their time together at Ferrari. While the young Monegasque learnt a lot from the veteran racer, they had some moments of heated competition too. One of the biggest instances of their row remains the Brazil GP in 2020. And only three races later, they clashed again during the opening lap at the Styrian GP as Leclerc took the blame for letting his team down.
But Charles and Sebastian seemed to have sorted out their differences when the two exchanged helmets and bid each other goodbye as Seb left the Maranello outfit. Posting about the German’s heartfelt gift on his official Twitter page, Charles Leclerc mentioned his old teammate.
I learnt so much from you as a person and as a driver in these last two years together. Thanks for pushing me to improve all the time, it’s been a honor (sic) to be your teammate, and I honestly wish you the very best. Top driver and a Top Man.
Charles Leclerc said about Sebastian Vettel, via Twitter.
In other news, Carlos Sainz came into Ferrari to fill up the seat left vacant by Sebastian Vettel. And Carlos has already done a wonderful job in his relatively new role as a Scuderia driver after having spent only two seasons in the team. In the recently-ended 2023 F1 season, Carlos became the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix while Charles Leclerc had last won a race for the team back in 2022 at the Austrian GP.
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Riddhi Mondal
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