“Sergio Perez is too inconsistent,” Charles Leclerc backed to be the ‘biggest title challenger’ to Max Verstappen
Former GP winner, Felipe Massa believes that Charles Leclerc might be the main contender for the title against Max Verstappen.
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Felipe Massa, Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen dominated the 2022 F1 season, and the Dutchman is seen as the favorite for this year as well. His main rival, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari have slipped down the order. This has given Red Bull’s Sergio Perez a good shot at the title. However, former F1 driver, Felipe Massa reckons that it will be Leclerc who’d give the fight to Verstappen in 2023.
Firstly, the Brazilian driver asserted that the Monegasque is as skilled as world champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Felipe stated, “Like Max and Lewis, Charles is an exceptional driver.” Massa then put his faith in Charles Leclerc to go head-to-head for the championship this season. Subsequently, the 2008 title runner-up said, “He is currently the biggest title challenger for Red Bull.”
The 41-year-old went on to express his views on Sergio Perez. Mass believes that the Mexican driver lacks the consistency to challenge his teammate. He explained, “Sergio Perez, is too inconsistent.” Felipe Massa even described Charles Leclerc’s teammate as having this same characteristic. He stated, “Just like Carlos Sainz from Ferrari.”
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Charles Leclerc is aiming to fight back after a disastrous start to 2023
Leclerc was the sole driver fighting against Max Verstappen in the 2022 F1 season. The Monegasque won 2 of the first three rounds of the season. However, reliability issues and driver errors forced him out of contention. This season, things have got off to a rough start, as the 25-year-old retired from the Bahrain season opener. Subsequently, Charles Leclerc was also given a ten-place grid penalty for the following race.
The Monegasque driver has not hidden his frustration from the early setbacks of this year. Things have been made worse by Ferrari falling behind Aston Martin in the pecking order. Although, the new Team Principal, Fred Vasseur, has stated the team’s continuous efforts to improve its pace. Accordingly, Charles Leclerc will be aiming to maximize the most out of the car throughout the season and capitalize on any issues faced by Red Bull Racing.
Thus, Felipe Massa is confident Charles Leclerc has the best chance to challenge Max Verstappen. The 25-year-old will have some work as the Scuderia recovers from setbacks. However, it is a long season that might allow the Ferrari driver to make his way back up the standings. However, it remains to be seen how things shape up during the coming part of the season.
In case you missed it:
- Carlos Sainz doesn’t understand why people get upset over dominant F1 teams like Red Bull
- ‘Not better at racing,’ Charles Leclerc mocks Carlos Sainz for claiming he’s ‘better at every sport’
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Armaan Agarwal
(2363 Articles Published)