Davide Valsecchi, the racer turned Formula 1 commentator and analyst, says the drivers are just \u201cnormal\u201d people in the paddock, as he recalled a Sebastian Vettel example.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Italian was offered a \u201cpacket of biscuits\u201d by Vettel, at a time when he was struggling up against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, and Valsecchi was raising question marks over the four-time world champion\u2019s F1 career. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, is the only slight exception to that \u201cnormal\u201d people description, according to Valsecchi.<\/p>\n
Sebastian Vettel and the \u2018packet of biscuits\u2019<\/p>\n
Vettel arrived at Ferrari back in 2015, looking to take the Scuderia back to F1\u2019s summit after winning four world championships with Red Bull. The collapse of Vettel\u2019s 2018 title challenge felt like a critical turning point, as Leclerc arrived in 2019 and increasingly established control in this intra-team Ferrari battle.<\/p>\n
Vettel left Ferrari at the end of a challenging 2020 season.<\/p>\n
Valsecchi covered Vettel\u2019s struggles which led to his Ferrari exit. At one stage, Vettel offered him a \u201cpacket of biscuits\u201d, a light-hearted gesture which Valsecchi said demonstrates how the F1 drivers are still \u201cnormal\u201d people despite all the noise flying around the F1 paddock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Vettel at Ferrari, when he was struggling because Leclerc had arrived, I said on TV that they were risking ending his career,\u201d Valsecchi recalled in a Fanpage.it interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone wrote to me saying I was being too harsh.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a race, he called me with a packet of biscuits: \u2018Come on, I\u2019ll give you some biscuits, you\u2019re losing too much weight.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cInside the paddock, they\u2019re normal, they know how sport works. Vettel, who was struggling against Leclerc, was the first to say: \u2018I have to go faster, I don\u2019t know how to do it.’\u201d<\/p>\n
More F1 stories via PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Revealed: Formula 1\u2019s surprising connection to the Great Train Robbery<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 The scandalous story behind the man who introduced glamour to F1<\/a><\/p>\n Leclerc \u2013 a graduate of the Ferrari Driver Academy \u2013 continues to race for the Scuderia, and now an eight-time grand prix winner, finds himself alongside another multi-time world champion in the form of Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.<\/p>\n Hamilton has become much more than just a driver across his illustrious career. He has grown into a brand in his own right by this stage, with interests in areas such as film, fashion and business, alongside his F1 career.<\/p>\n \u201cHamilton is a normal guy, but it\u2019s harder to have a relationship with him,\u201d said Valsecchi. \u201cApart from saying \u2018Hi, hi\u2019, I don\u2019t have much contact with him; his lifestyle means he keeps his distance from almost everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cLeclerc, on the other hand, is a very normal guy, with the same interests, the same worries, the same characteristics. Don\u2019t think they\u2019re special men. When the car isn\u2019t performing well, they also think about the wings, the modifications, how their teammates are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Leclerc has shone against Hamilton in F1 2025, their first season together following Hamilton\u2019s blockbuster switch from Mercedes. Leclerc is 66 points better off than Hamilton in the Drivers\u2019 Championship<\/a> with three rounds to go, Hamilton having suffered an underwhelming first season with the iconic team.<\/p>\n \u201cHamilton has a different aura: he\u2019s the only one with a bodyguard, the only one who rides a scooter,\u201d Valsecchi continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they signed him at Ferrari, they had a lot to think about. Today, it seems silly. We\u2019ll see if it pays off next year, but if it does, it will be further down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Opportunity potentially knocks for Hamilton, Leclerc and Ferrari in F1 2026, with sweeping changes to the chassis and engine regulations on the way.<\/p>\n