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 Crimson Bull driver made the comment within the hours after he secured this 12 months’s title in Las Vegas final weekend, within the context of Crimson Bull’s struggles with its RB20 automotive after its dominant begin.
McLaren has supplied probably the most constant opposition to Crimson Bull because it massively upgraded its MCL38 automotive again in Could for the Miami race and has dominated a number of occasions the same method to how Crimson Bull opened the 12 months.
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 might have been trickier.”
Learn Additionally:
Verstappen’s feedback have 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 the world over for the ultimate two races of the 2024 season within the Center East.
Leclerc is at the moment 21 factors adrift of Lando Norris within the drivers’ standings behind Verstappen, however each their groups at the moment lead Crimson 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 be the boldness that he has”, relating to his post-title-clinching feedback.
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs
“Nonetheless, I feel it’s very tough to say one thing like that not realizing truly what the automotive 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 Crimson Bull is, how the McLaren is, and he doesn’t understand how the Ferrari is.
“So, it’s perhaps a little bit of a stretch to say one thing like that.”
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formulation 1
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Crimson Bull Racing
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e mail updates on these matters
Subscribe to information alerts