Kimi Raikkonen has tipped a strong future for Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc.
Monaco-born Leclerc, 19, is dominating the former GP2 series Formula 2 this year and he recently impressed at the wheel of Ferrari’s 2017 car at the post-Hungary GP test.
"It’s not easy to do well in a different car from what you normally drive," the Finn is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"But Leclerc has shown great progress and for sure he will do great things in the future."
Leclerc has been linked with a seat at Sauber next year, with the Swiss team’s boss Frederic Vasseur saying he is open to taking a driver from Ferrari.
"I certainly wanted to impress as many people as possible, but the priority was just to make my contribution to Ferrari," Leclerc said of the recent test.
"Hopefully there will be opportunities at the end of the season."