David Coulthard used a rather peculiar metaphor to describe Charles Leclerc’s strengths and weaknesses as a driver. Despite his three wins, eleven podiums, three pole positions, and 308 points so far in the 2024 season, David Coulthard believes that the Monegasque driver still has some rough edges to smooth out before he can be compared to the greatness of Max Verstappen.
The Dutch star, after a fantastic comeback from seventeenth to first place at the Brazilian GP, ended a ten-race winless streak, a streak impacted by the RB20 losing much (if not all) of its dominance showcased in the first third of the championship.
Charles Leclerc not yet on Max Verstappen’s level
“I think Max arrived as a finished product, with only a few rough edges, while others have needed a bit more time,” the former British driver said on the Formula For Success podcast.
“Charles is still like a puppy that occasionally pees on the carpet. Once he gets rid of these little mistakes, I believe we’ll enter a golden era for F1.” – the former Formula 1 driver feels. Beyond the comparison between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, David Coulthard also had some observations on Lando Norris’s recent form, especially after his latest misstep at Interlagos, which essentially ended his title hopes.
“Every driver treats each lights-out as an opportunity. I think outside the car, he’s probably hoping for a reliability issue, a crash, or a mistake, something for Max.” – he added – “Max can win in Las Vegas, but we’d all like to see a showdown in Abu Dhabi. They’re both very nice, normal people outside the car. Their personalities are obviously those of racers; Max elbows his way through, probably a bit more than Lando.”
“All this is part of growth. How old is Lando? 26 or 27? In many ways, they’re still young guys. For me, it was around 30 when I understood the meaning of life, and that coincided with my best performances.” – David Coulthard concluded.
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