“They are a photocopy of each other,” Jean Alesi believes Max Verstappen is smarter than Charles Leclerc in reading races despite multiple similarities


“They are a photocopy of each other,” Jean Alesi believes Max Verstappen is smarter than Charles Leclerc in reading races despite multiple similarities

Jean Alesi

After the first two races of the 2022 season, it’s fair to assume that the fight for the WDC title appears to be between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Both the drivers have engaged in battles for the win in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and each of them came out on top once.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jean Alesi, an ex-F1 driver for Ferrari and several other teams, believes that both Charles and Max have plenty of similarities, but the latter is smarter. As quoted by GP Blog, he said, “When I see Leclerc and Verstappen, I feel like I’m looking at a double image. They are a photocopy of each other. Charles may seem better at reading a race, but that’s just an impression.”

This opinion of Alesi comes despite his long-time association with Ferrari in the past. He drove for the Maranello-based outfit for five seasons and was popular amongst the Tifosi.

How does the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc look like?

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc

So far the racing between the two has been flawless. Both the drivers have fought out well on the track. During Bahrain GP, Max made multiple attempts at getting ahead of Leclerc but was eventually held back by his engine. Whereas in Saudi Arabia, he stayed behind the DRS line patiently and got ahead of Charles, thus displaying his racing prowess.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jean Alesi, drawing parallels between Max’s rivalry with Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 season and this year’s with Charles Leclerc, said there was “competitive hatred” with the former. Results of which we saw repeatedly on the track and in the comments made by them and their team members.

Max and Charles have competed against each other several times in the past. The rivalry between the duo dates back to their karting days. But they both have ensured that the racing remains clean and the respect stays mutual.

ALSO READ: “F1 bigger than any one grand prix,” Zak Brown warns Monaco GP of danger from Las Vegas GP