Charles Leclerc defends Max Verstappen: "Unfair to say he has it easy"

Charles Leclerc defends Max Verstappen: “Unfair to say he has it easy”. Charles Leclerc wanted to defend Max Verstappen as his wins were often downplayed.

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc spoke about his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen in a recent interview with the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, stating that it is “unfair to say he has an easy life.”

The Dutch driver completely dominated the 2023 Formula One season, securing 19 victories in the 22 races and clinching his third world title. Throughout the year, Max Verstappen’s successes were often downplayed due to the clear technical superiority of the RB19 single-seater.

Charles Leclerc’s comments
Charles Leclerc, one of Max Verstappen’s early rivals, wanted to defend his contemporary, stating: “It would be very unfair [to say he has an easy life with this car, editor’s note]. Of course, today he is in a comfortable situation, but he had to work hard to get there. And [at Red Bull, editor’s note], they simply did a good job to get where they are, I respect that,” he added.

The Monegasque driver then encouraged Scuderia Ferrari: “Now we have to do an equally good job to catch up with them.”

Looking ahead to the 2024 Formula One championship, Charles Leclerc stated, “I am 100% convinced that next year we will take a step forward, but unfortunately, in this sport, everything is relative. If Red Bull finds another second, everyone would seem stupid. You can never be sure. Compared to Red Bull, we’re not talking about recovering a tenth in the race, but many tenths,” he specified.

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Charles Leclerc is confident that the Scuderia will close the performance gap: “It means a lot of work, and everyone is aware of it. I have confidence in this team because we don’t lie to each other.”