Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as a “champion in the making” and praised the youngster’s attitude in the wake of Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Leclerc controlled qualifying to secure his maiden pole position and fought back from a poor first lap to reclaim the lead, and held a comfortable advantage through the pit stop phase.
But a suspected cylinder loss with 13 laps remaining slowed his Ferrari SF90 and he was powerless to prevent Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas from passing, slipping to third.
Wolff was nonetheless effusive over Leclerc’s ability as well as his immediate reaction to the setback.
“In Leclerc, I think we’re seeing a young champion in the making who was the emotional winner [in Bahrain],” said Wolff.
“Fastest man and fastest machine. He has gotten all the cruel side of motor-racing and it was our fortune.
“Very, very impressive. He has a good personality. He is a humble young man and he’s very fast.
“Many other young men … the combination between the speed, personality and being able to temper your emotions in both directions is a great ingredient.
“I know that many other drivers who have the lion in them, like he certainly has, would have reacted in a much more controversial way about the third place and would have been angry and would have displayed that. None of that you see with Charles.”
When asked whether he regarded Leclerc as a contender for this year’s championship, Wolff replied: “I think we have always expected him to be a threat. He is in a great car and has the skills and the character to be very successful.
“It’s a challenge that we really enjoy. And I’m sure Valtteri and Lewis will enjoy. We want to fight against the best ones in the best machines.
“When you see Lewis fighting Sebastian in a car and engine that wasn’t on Sebastian’s level, that motivates them even more.”
