Villeneuve: Leclerc wasn't ready for role of title challenger

Villeneuve believes Ferrari's early championship promise ultimately "fell apart" during the course of the season.

"A lot depends on the chemistry of the two drivers," Villeneuve told Formule1. "Ferrari never said to Leclerc: It's your first year with us, your second year in F1. Relax and learn from Vettel. Then I think the team would have moved on more than it did.

"Instead, from the first race, Leclerc had the attitude of I am going to show that I am the boss and Vettel is the past. I am the future. The fans also thought Leclerc had come to save Ferrari and the media went along with it. I think it hurt Vettel, like with Ricciardo in the Red Bull days.

"It didn't help Ferrari simply because Leclerc wasn't ready for the role of title challenger. He had poles and even wins but he was not ready for the championship. This whole situation damaged Ferrari.

"I don't know what Mattia Binotto could have done about it, but it was easier in the days of Irvine and Barrichello," added Villeneuve.

The F1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner also gave his opinion on the Ferrari fuel saga, saying he did not understand the rule that cost Ferrari €50,000 in Abu Dhabi.

The Italian team was reportedly lucky to escape disqualification after a discrepancy was found between the fuel in Leclerc's tank, and the amount that was actually declared to the FIA by Ferrari.

"It's one of those parc ferme rules that I don't understand," 1997 world champion Villeneuve told Formule1.

"They didn't have the amount of fuel onboard that they said they had - who cares? Why can't you just have as much fuel as you want?"

Indeed, Ferrari did not breach the allowed 110kg fuel limit - only the rule about properly declaring the start amount.

"As far as I am concerned, the rule does not have to exist," said Villeneuve. "But it does, so you have to stick to it, but it remains a strange rule."