Charles Leclerc explains: This is why he isn’t afraid of Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have been competing against each other for a long time, even before they moved up to Formula 1, as evidenced by the video from their days karting together, which keeps doing the rounds online. It shows a visibly annoyed Max Verstappen ranting about the Monegasque driver’s style, with whom he had clashed after the chequered flag, whilst Leclerc described the incident as a normal racing incident.

Charles Leclerc’s opinion of Max Verstappen has changed

The rivalry between these two exceptional drivers continued to provide plenty of entertainment for spectators in the years that followed, as well as sparking a number of discussions between the feuding rivals off the track. And the drivers’ opinions of one another reflected this. But that is all in the past, as Leclerc emphasised to his colleagues at ‘Sky Italia’.

“Our relationship has matured over the years. I was convinced he was a bad person, and he thought the same of me. But now our relationship has changed,” asserted the Ferrari driver, who currently occupies fourth place in the World Championship standings – two places ahead of Verstappen.

Tough rivals at Ferrari

The prospect of the four-time champion from the Red Bull Racing team one day becoming his team-mate does not cause Leclerc any concern. He did praise him, saying: “Max is an exceptional driver who has won four world titles.” At the same time, however, he also made it clear why he does not fear a direct comparison: “Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to have some brilliant team-mates.”

Leclerc listed them: “Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz – so I’m not worried about him driving alongside me one day.” And he added with a wink: “It would actually be a great story, because we’ve been competing against each other in every karting category since 2010. What do I think about having him alongside me at Ferrari? Let’s just enjoy Lewis Hamilton for now.”

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