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.”
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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.
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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.”
