This evening, the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality suite was at capacity teeming with media, so much so that as Sebastian Vettel entered he had to effectively fight his way through the crowd having first taken a deep breath in astonishment at the amount before him. So, was the press there to discuss the illegality claims made Christian Horner? Not at all, they were there to see the man of the moment Charles Leclerc following his back to back victories in Belgium and Italy respectively.

Before the main event, having fought his way through the press, Sebastian Vettel first spoke in German, as is customary for him, before commenting in the most common language of the room as to how his season is transpiring:

“Not the best one but not the worst one. A lot of races this year to finish the season the way we want. On paper we know what we expect but as long as everything is working and in the car we feel it is a step forward that will be a success.”

When asked of why the errors came:

“The race is the peak, the highlight and one moment can change the race and it did. Unfortunately, these things are part of racing.”

As for Singapore and the pace of his teammate, Vettel responded:

“I love this track; it is a challenge. It is a love/hate relationship as it is the toughest and longest that we have. I feel ready and I feel excited. You need to be fair and say he [Leclerc] is very quick; just admit if he out-qualifies me, he has done a better job.”

Having seen Vettel make his way off stage, Charles Leclerc entered the throng and discussed his emotions following such landmark back to back victories.

“It has been quite crazy. Lots of days at home to focus on races to come. I went to Maranello and saw one thousand three hundred in Maranello to thank them.”

This epitomizes the character of the Monégasque as does his realism of the task ahead:

“It might be a bit more difficult for us, quite a lot of corners. We are going to struggle a bit more; we will give everything for the win. First, we need to check the new parts fit on the car and are working properly.”

Finally, what of the idea of the shift in positions within the team so that Charles is number 1 – is that the case?

“It never felt that way, from the inside of it is very balanced. I have helped Sebastian and Seb has helped me. I am very happy with the way the team is at the moment.”

To conclude the gathering, the label has already been assigned to the two time Grand Prix winner of ‘The Next Michael Schumacher’, for Charles though he could not disagree more:

“For me it is always very nice to hear but I am only 21 and haven’t proved anything to what Michael has achieved.”

If Charles Leclerc continues to perform impressively around the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend, the comparisons with Michael Schumacher will surely continue as will the mounting pressure. However, looking at the young man with the Tifosi at his feet, he does not seem to know what pressure is but it remains to be seen whether his 4-time F1 World Champion teammate can say the same.

Meanwhile, across the paddock, the Drivers' Press Conference took place with a shock announcement:

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/12933/singapore-gp-drivers-039-press-conference