Red Bull boss has “great deal of respect” for “hard but fair” Charles Leclerc amid Ferrari struggles. Horner respect for Verstappen-Leclerc racing conduct.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted that he has a lot of respect for how Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has battled on track against Max Verstappen in the first part of the 2022 Formula One championship.

Charles Leclerc had a great start to the current F1 campaign and led the early rounds of the championship, after some great battles with the Dutchman on several occasions, like in Bahrain, Australia, Saudi Arabia and at the Imola circuit. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc’s efforts have been hindered by power unit issues and less than ideal strategy decisions since then, which has allowed the 2021 Formula 1 world champion to gain a solid 80 point lead against the Monegasque driver in the standings ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, which takes place after the summer break.

Christian Horner confirmed that he admires how Charles Leclerc has battled on against Max Verstappen in 2022 and how the Monegasque driver has dealt with the many unfortunate moments in the first half of the championship. Even with the problems at the Maranello team, Charles Leclerc has remained calm when facing the media, something that has earned Christian Horner’s respect.

“I have a great deal of respect for the way he’s conducted himself. The way that he’s racing on track, he’s hard but fair and I think the racing between the two guys, there’s been a lot of hard racing between the two of them in the first half of this championship, but there hasn’t been a single touch and it’s great to see and it’s enjoyable to be part of.” – the Red Bull boss said.

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Some of the Italian side’s tactical decisions have been called into question many times this season, most recently in the French Grand Prix and at the Hungaroring circuit. When asked about what he would do if his strategists were making similar mistakes like seen at Ferrari this season, Christian Horner joked: “They’re not my strategists. I don’t speak Italian.”