“Leclerc is good, but Verstappen is just a bit better” :Shinji Nakano picks an obvious favourite for the season
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Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen
Former F1 driver Shinji Nakano appears to favour reigning Formula One world champion Max Verstappen for the 2022 title. Verstappen is significantly stronger than his Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc, according to the Japanese.
Nakano, who raced 33 Grands Prix for Prost and Minardi in 1997 and 1998, looks back on the race in the Miami International Autodrome and ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. Although Leclerc is still leading the drivers’ championship and the attributes of the Spanish circuit favour Ferrari, the 51-year-old former driver believes that Verstappen is the better of the two.
Nakano provided his analysis of the qualifying session of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix: “Verstappen made a mistake in his final attack in Q3. Therefore, it was difficult to see the relationship between Red Bull and Ferrari. I think that mistake was because of his bad Friday. Except for that mistake, I think Red Bull would have actually just been in pole position.”
Also Read: “No room for mistakes” :Charles Leclerc hopes to put an end to the Monaco curse
Shinji Nakano sees Verstappen as the better one
When trying to compare Verstappen to his Ferrari rival, Nakano saw a shortcoming in him that he is able to disregard: “I feel that the control and determination Verstappen has is just a little bit better than Leclerc’s. Of course Leclerc is good, but Verstappen is just a bit better in my opinion.”
Ferrari’s F1-75 of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is good in the slow corners, therefore they are expected to have a good chance of winning. For Sainz, a win in front of his home crowd would be great. Fernando Alonso, as a Spaniard, did so most recently; in 2013, also with Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc is at the top of the drivers’ championship leaderboard at the moment with a total of 104 points. However 2nd placed Max Verstappen isn’t far behind, with only 19 points keeping the Dutchman at bay from the top of the table.
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Rishika Saha
(445 Articles Published)