‘The situation will be more tense’: Charles Leclerc believes his rivalry with Max Verstappen can be more fierce at the end of the season
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Charles Leclerc (on the left) and Max Verstappen (on the right)
Last year, Formula 1 bore witness to one of the greatest championship battles in recent times between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. There was drama, there was controversy and the two made contact (and collided) on multiple occasions. It all culminated in Abu Dhabi, where Max Verstappen came out on top.
This year also held (and does) promise for a great championship battle. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were long considered to be one of the best young (and drivers) on the grid, and this year, they got their chance to fight at the top. The ‘battle’ came in the first race itself, as Verstappen and Leclerc fought for the lead, with Leclerc eventually coming out on top (and Verstappen retiring from the race).
The two have tussled on many occasions since but they haven’t made contact. Some of it can be attributed to Verstappen maturing in his driving, but there is another thing to be addressed: The Dutchman has a huge lead, and Charles Leclerc has a lot of work to do if he wants to challenge him. While Leclerc agrees that this year’s battle is different than last, he does acknowledge it may get tense in the future.
Charles Leclerc: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s battle was ‘different’ than ours
Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was interviewed by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, where he talked about a variety of topics such as vacation, what he felt his best race of the year and the worst race of the year was, and also his title fight with Max Verstappen. Verstappen has earlier said that his battle with Leclerc is different than last year with Lewis Hamilton, and Leclerc concurs.
Leclerc and Verstappen are both ‘aggressive’ and quick drivers, even though Verstappen has generally been considered the more aggressive one of the pair. Leclerc likes this about their fight: “I like to face Max, we have a similar level of aggression. We have fun, with respect.”
However, right now, Max Verstappen is completely in control of the championship battle. If Leclerc is able to get closer, through fortune and skill, the ‘friendly’ character of the championship battle may shift: “I’m not saying that last year there was no respect between Max and Lewis, but it seemed like a different battle than ours. But if we were to get to the end of the championship very close as points, the situation would be much more tense than now.”
Both drivers may face penalties in the Belgian Grand Prix and consequently, start from the back of the grid. Instead of a battle at the front, we may get a battle with the drivers climbing up from the back. This is a great opportunity for their teammates, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, but also for Mercedes.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)