Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was involved in several intense wheel-to-wheel duels against Max Verstappen during the 2022 Formula One championship, especially in the first part of the season but their battles were less aggressive than the Dutchman’s on track battles with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, and the Monegasque driver shared his thoughts on this matter.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen enjoyed a series of close duels at the beginning of the 2022 Formula 1 season, as the Monegasque driver won in Bahrain and Australia, while Max Verstappen took the race win in Saudi Arabia. But while intense, the on-track battles between the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers were always clean.
Things were different during the 2021 Formula 1 championship, when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton werw fighting for the title and the two rivals crashed several times. Even in the final round of the 2022 campaign, the two made contact at the first corner on the second lap of the race.
The Dutchman later said that his opponent had “zero intention to leave me space”, while the Mercedes man hit back saying “you know how it is with Max”
When quizzed about why his on-track duels this season with Max Verstappen were less dramatic than what we saw between the latter and Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc explained the circumstances in which the fights with his Red Bull opponent happened:
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“We know each other very well, but I don’t think that is the reason why it’s quieter between us,” Charles Leclerc said, in a recent interview for German newspaper AMuS
“I think the difference with Max versus Lewis from last year is that we were at different points in the season. Our duels were at the beginning of the year. After that, either I had a big lead in the championship or Max was way ahead. You don’t take as many risks. So it was more because of the nature of the championship.” – the Ferrari driver added.
At the same time, Charles Leclerc is aware that if the stakes are high, like in an end-of-season battle for the title, the fight would most likely become more aggressive.
“If we fight to the end in 2023, I think it would be a tougher race,” said the Ferrari driver.
Three years ago, at the Red Bull Ring and in the British Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen fought intensely, as the Monegasque driver won the battle at Silverstone but lost out in Austria.
It was maybe a moment from which both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen learned a lesson from each other.
“I hated the outcome of Austria. I thought, you can’t drive like that. But when the stewards told me it was allowed, I was the first to welcome that approach. I like to fight hard on the track. At the limit. That’s how I like racing. Hopefully we will see such duels in the future.” – the Scuderia Ferrari driver concluded.
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