Sauber Chief Warns Leclerc About Ferrari Move, Raikkonen's Future Remains Uncertain

Alfa Romeo Sauber team principal Frederic Vasseur has warned Charles Leclerc about rushing a move to Ferrari after just one season in Formula 1 after revealing that there have been a number of drivers in the past that have failed after taking such a big step.

The Monegasque driver has been impressive in his debut season with the Sauber team thus far. He has scored points in five of the 11 races while also helping the team make it to Q3 in qualifying, which was just a dream when the season got underway.

Leclerc, who is a part of the Ferrari academy, has impressed the Italian marque with his performances and is being considered as a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen, who is in the final few months of his contract with the team.

The Maranello-based team are yet to hand the experienced Finn a new deal with various reports suggesting that he will be allowed to leave with an agreement already in place with Leclerc. The Sauber driver has refuted the speculation confirming that there have been no talks of a move thus far, but he is the only candidate in the running to take Raikkonen’s seat at the moment.

Ferrari have always shied away from promoting a young driver and have always opted for experience over potential and Vasseur believes the reason is the huge pressure that comes with driving for the most successful team in F1. He believes it is a big leap for Leclerc and one that will be risky.

“Moving from Sauber to Ferrari is a big step,” Vasseur told La Derniere Heure, as quoted on PlanetF1. “We cannot predict what will happen, especially when it comes to drivers getting some money.”

“In the last 20 years, there have been plenty of drivers who did very good first seasons in F1. I will not give names, but as soon as they touched their first cheque, they had trouble. They lost their roots because they discovered new things in life and lost a little bit of what they were doing. So we cannot anticipate,” the Sauber chief added.

“That’s why Ferrari is a big leap for Charles. And it’s why Ferrari has always hesitated to take very young drivers. They know very well the pressure that is in their system. But I’m not too worried about him,” Vasseur said.

Ferrari are likely to make their decision when the season resumes after the summer break in August, but it remains to be seen if they will promote the young rising star or stick with the experience of Raikkonen, who works well with Sebastian Vettel, who is contracted until the end of the 2020 season.

Meanwhile, the PlanetF1 report suggests that if Ferrari decide to retain the Finnish racer, Leclerc could move to Haas Racing for the 2019 campaign before making the switch to Ferrari team in 2020.