Charles Leclerc says Max Verstappen’s declare he would have gained the 2024 Formulation 1 world championship “even earlier” had he been racing a McLaren or Ferrari is “a stretch”.
The Purple Bull driver made the comment within the hours after he secured this yr’s title in Las Vegas final weekend, within the context of Purple Bull’s struggles with its RB20 automobile after its dominant begin.
McLaren has offered essentially the most constant opposition to Purple Bull because it massively upgraded its MCL38 automobile again in Could for the Miami race and has dominated a number of occasions an analogous method to how Purple Bull opened the yr.
When requested if he additionally would have gained his fourth straight title in 2024 had he been racing for McLaren, Verstappen replied: “Sure, even earlier, so [I would have been] additional forward. [With the Ferrari], just about the identical I feel. The Mercedes, no. I feel that will have been trickier.”
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Verstappen’s feedback had been put to Leclerc when he confronted the media within the pre-event press convention forward of this weekend’s Qatar GP – F1 having decamped from Vegas and travelled internationally for the ultimate two races of the 2024 season within the Center East.
Leclerc is presently 21 factors adrift of Lando Norris within the drivers’ standings behind Verstappen, however each their groups presently lead Purple Bull within the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari 24 factors again from McLaren with two full GPs left and the Qatar dash.
Leclerc mentioned that Verstappen “is a really particular driver” and “I feel what makes him particular can also be the arrogance that he has”, concerning his post-title-clinching feedback.
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
“Nonetheless, I feel it’s very tough to say one thing like that not figuring out truly what the automobile is like,” he added.
“He’s an unimaginable driver, little question. Whether or not he would have made it or not [in the 2024 Ferrari], I don’t understand how the Purple Bull is, how the McLaren is, and he doesn’t understand how the Ferrari is.
“So, it’s possibly a little bit of a stretch to say one thing like that.”
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On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formulation 1
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Purple Bull Racing
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