Verstappen-Leclerc clash less aggressive compared to Max-Hamilton crash: Martin Brundle

Verstappen-Leclerc clash less aggressive compared to Max-Hamilton crash: Martin Brundle

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (on the left) and Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen(on the right)

After their first pit stops, recently crowned world champion Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a frenetic battle for the lead at the Bahrain season opening, swapping P1 back and forth through several circuits. It was done, however, in a fairer and far less combative manner, as F1 pundit Martin Brundle pointed out, particularly in comparison to how Verstappen and 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton went about their Drivers’ Championship clashes in 2021 season of Formula 1.

Martin Brundle also went on to mention how it was particularly interesting to see the two drivers slugging it out at Bahrain GP. He also highlighted on how the Dutchman would scoop up inside of into turn one, taking use of the slipstream, the opened DRS rear wing, and greater straight-line speed down the pit stretch, as well as delayed braking.

He talked about how Leclerc was measuring this constantly in his mirrors, accepting the inevitable, and then intelligently ensuring he was second car past the DRS detection point, meaning he could get the rear wing open on the way up to turn four and regain the lead. Verstappen’s defense was firm but very fair, and with significantly less aggression than he dished out to Hamilton last season. “Indeed, it was Leclerc who sliced across his nose into turn four on one occasion. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out as the championship unfolds,” remarked Brundle on what he expects from the rest of the season.

FS Video

Martin Brundle talks about his takeaways from the Bahrain Grand Prix

F1 pundit Martin Brundle
F1 pundit Martin Brundle

After this struggle, Verstappen would be asked to switch up to enable his brakes to rest, but the major goal of the new rules was to allow cars to pursue more intimately and pass without compromising downforce or damaging their tyres. And the fact that Verstappen and Leclerc were able to keep going so close to each other and execute that series of manoeuvres implies that Formula 1 has accomplished its goal.

“As Ross Brawn’s engineering mind puts it ‘we only have a sample of one so far’, but it was clear from the testing and particularly racing in Bahrain that the drivers can follow each other more closely and without experiencing anywhere near as much unpredictable sliding followed by overheating of their tyres,” mentioned the British former racing driver.

The drivers on the grid meet again this weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the second race of the season. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend will not just witness the teams go head-to-head with each other a week after the thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix, but would also feature numerous artists in the music industry on a global level to headline the concert post-qualifying at Jeddah.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia GP: Rapper Wiz Khalifa to perform at Jeddah on Saturday