Vasseur is “a person we look up to,” claims Leclerc

On the back of Ferrari's decision to extend Fred Vasseur's contract, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc praised the Scuderia's team boss, claiming that the Frenchman is “a person we look up to.”

Ahead of last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari have put an end to recent speculations by announcing that they have extended, with a multiple-year contract, their agreement with Fred Vasseur, who will continue as the Scuderia's team principal in the coming F1 season.

Asked about earlier speculations that have revolved around Vasseur’s position, Leclerc said that it was partly down to the fact that expectations were too high coming into this year, having had a championship fight last year.

“The fact that there was so much hype around the team at the beginning of the year made everything worse.

“When we then started the season, I think everybody thought we were going to win the championship and unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Then there were rumours and that took a bigger proportion than what we want.

“These are not things we can control. As I was saying earlier, it's part of Ferrari. It's always been the case and it will never change. We cannot focus on that. The best thing we can do is try and not think about those things as much as possible.

Pushed on to reveal how important it is to have stability within the team as far as top management is concerned, the eight-time F1 race winner noted that it is vital to have stabile structure to “build a successful team.”

“I'm not the one making the decisions, but I think stability is always very important. Fred is the person we look up to and the person leading the team.

“To have him for many more years is definitely a good thing, also because in Formula 1 it takes time to build something, especially a successful team.

“I'm very happy about that. Knowing that I'll be able to have Fred alongside me for more years makes me optimistic for the future.”