Charles LeClerc, Sebastian Vettel Downplay Tensions At Ferrari Ahead Of Japanese Grand Prix

Ferrari teammates, Charles LeClerc and Sebastian Vettel, visibly downplayed the rift between them claiming the tensions present at the Russian Grand Prix had cooled down.

LeClerc was quick to insist Vettel’s apparent failure to toe the line at Sochi was a misunderstanding.

Vettel was given the slipstream off the line by teammate LeClerc at Sochi, considering he was at pole position. That allowed him to lead the race as the rest of the pack headed into the second turn.

The strategy was for Vettel to return the lead to his teammate, but that did not happen.

Vettel instead built a 5-second hap leaving LeClerc furious on team radio. Ironically, Vettel had to retire early after suffering engine failure from excess heat to the power electronic unit of the Scuderia. LeClerc ended up finishing in third place behind Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

He gave a statement admitting there was a conflict, but they had a discussion, and everything was clear. Vettel equally downplayed the issue while speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Both LeClerc and Vettel had separate meetings with the team boss, Mattia Binotto. Vettel stated there was a conversation about what happened, but there were others as well. He encouraged media not make a fuss about it.

He then quickly changed the subject to the Japanese Grand Prix after acknowledging Mercedes’ solid performance in Russia.

Looking towards the weekend in Japan, it would seem that LeClerc is optimistic concerning the chance to take the first victory for Scuderia at the track since 2004.

He claimed everything was working well following the holidays. The car is in great condition though the last two races did not end as he expected. He placed a priority on the performance, which he says is excellent, and there are no reasons to not be competitive during the weekend.

There is a need as well to consider the effects of typhoon, Hagibis, which could disrupt the schedule of the Grand Prix.

Even LeClerc was wary of the weather conditions saying it would be very tricky if not impossible to drive on Saturday, so the only chance for practice would be Friday in the hopes the storm will have passed by Sunday.

Vettel is equally optimistic after expressing confidence the team had solved the issue following Sochi. The rivalry between the two drivers adds to the competitive anticipation considering both Mercedes and Red Bull are in great form ahead of the weekend.