Formula 1: Max Verstappen opens up on a title fight with Charles Leclerc and says it’s different from racing with Lewis Hamilton: The reigning world champion, Max Verstappen has claimed that he is racing in a different way to Charles Leclerc as compared to Lewis Hamilton last year. The Dutch driver feels it is ‘more natural’ to race against the Monegasque driver than the British seven-time world champion. Follow Formula 1 updates on InsideSport.IN.
The Dutch driver has been in a close duel with Leclerc this year and gave him tough competition in the first three rounds. Opening on his battle with the Ferrari driver, Verstappen said “Every driver is different, in the way they attack or defend. That’s why you always have to go into the fight in a unique way.
Formula 1: Max Verstappen opens up on TITLE FIGHT with Charles Leclerc, claims ‘it is different from racing Lewis Hamilton’
“It feels natural to compete against drivers that I have competed against in the past in karts and have now come to F1. In particular Charles, it’s nice to see that we are two young guys competing for victories. We’ve fought some nice duels so far. I’m also happy that my friend Carlos Sainz is now driving a competitive Ferrari after we made our debut together in 2015,” he further said.
Leclerc and Verstappen enjoyed clean scraps for triumph at the initial two rounds of the 2022 season. The Ferrari driver ended up as the winner in Bahrain and the Red Bull man retaliated in Saudi Arabia. Leclerc rushed to depict their initial experiences as ‘Hard however fair’.
Formula 1: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen fought each other in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.Formula 1: Max Verstappen opens up on TITLE FIGHT with Charles Leclerc, claims ‘it is different from racing Lewis Hamilton’
It comes after an incident-packed 2021 title race that saw Verstappen and Hamilton crash in a few events. Meanwhile, the Mercedes/Red Bull competition went bad last year. Verstappen and Hamilton crashed at Silverstone, Monza, and Jeddah last season, and had a few near calamities somewhere else, as their battle for the title intensified.
Another hugely dramatic moment in the Verstappen/Hamilton title battle 💥😮#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/P4J4bN6wX2
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2021
“I think in the fight between me and Hamilton, the conflict between Red Bull and Mercedes also played an important role. In addition to everything that happened during the championship, that also inspired the confrontation on the track,” added Verstappen further explained.
Formula 1: Max Verstappen opens up on TITLE FIGHT with Charles Leclerc, claims ‘it is different from racing Lewis Hamilton’