ALPHA

ow does an understudy oust the star? When does the Beta know it is time to replace the Alpha? What does a support act need to do to become the main attraction? Look to Charles Leclerc and one may find an all-encompassing answer. After all, he has unwittingly become the perfect Formula 1 subject for such questions.

“The way that Charles is growing is very positive, he’s a talent, we knew it, but I think he’s really learning from mistakes, and that’s more important” Mattia Binotto

Even if Leclerc wasn’t asking himself these questions in relation to his position within Ferrari at the start of 2019, plenty were asking on his behalf. The ‘what’ seemed a certainty: eventually Leclerc would displace Sebastian Vettel within Ferrari. The ‘when’ was a little more unclear, but surely it would only be a matter of time. The main unknown was ‘how’. After all, team principal Mattia Binotto called Vettel – a four-time world champion now