“He resembles Kimi Raikkonen in terms of speed and Michael Schumacher with his attitude”: Alfa Romeo official thinks Charles Leclerc is the combination of two Ferrari legends

Janmeyjay Shukla | 11/04/2022
"He resembles Kimi Raikkonen in terms of speed and Michael Schumacher with his attitude": Alfa Romeo official thinks Charles Leclerc is the combination of two Ferrari legends

Alfa Romeo Engineer Beat Zehnder sees a combination of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen in Charles Leclerc.

Charles Leclerc held the first position from the start to the finish at the Albert Park circuit on Sunday Afternoon. Despite the challenge faced by Max Verstappen and the two safety car restarts, Leclerc didn’t move.

Max Verstappen on the other hand retired on lap 38 due to a fuel leak paving the way for Leclerc to win the race. According to Alfa Romeo engineer Beat Zehnder, Charles Leclerc is a combination of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen.

A new Ferrari star is born: Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc joined Formula 1 in 2016 and was part of Ferrari’s development. In 2017, he drove for Haas in testing and joined Alfa Romeo as a driver in 2018.

Looking back on the period, Zehnder had high praises of Leclerc. He said: “It was a very good season. Furthermore, a very interesting experience and to be able to work with young talent like Charles.”

Also Read: Charles Leclerc takes a cheeky dig at George Russell and Mercedes after the 2022 Australian GP

He added: “I’ve never seen a driver like Charles before. It also gave us a lot of satisfaction and reward after working, after all the difficult periods we have had with the team. To be able to work with Charles is nice.”

Combination of the Ferrari Champions

The Swiss engineer acknowledged Charles’ presence and appreciated a unique talent with a ‘special talent and approach’.

Talking about the Monégasque driver’s ability, Zehnder drew comparisons with Schumacher and Raikkonen. He believes Leclerc is a mix of the previous two World Champions.

Also Read: Valtteri Bottas fumed at Lance Stroll following an incident at the Australian GP

He stated: I’ve always said that he resembles Kimi Raikkonen in terms of speed. When I see his working attitude, he looks most like Michael Schumacher. Give him a good car and he will one day become world champion, I’m very sure of that.”

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Beat Zehnder Charles Leclerc Kimi Raikkonen Michael Schumacher

About the author

Janmeyjay Shukla

Janmeyjay Shukla is an artist who contributes his expressions through words as an F1 writer and editor at The SportsRush. He is an F1 historian who has been watching the sport since he was a baby. Passed on from generation to generation, he has seen the prime of Michael Schumacher to the rise of Max Verstappen. A Mercedes fan from the days of the Brawn GP era, the sport runs in his blood. Besides Formula One, Janmeyjay is a Marketing Head and a musician who loves to sing and play Rock & Pop songs on guitar. His love for sports will never die as he is a loyal Liverpool Football Club fan as well!

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