Charles Leclerc Reveals the Key Difference Between Battling Against Lewis Hamilton And Max Verstappen

Charles Leclerc lost out on the drivers’ championship to Max Verstappen despite starting the season on a high. Recently he was outperformed twice by 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the US and Mexico. The Monegasque has now delivered his verdict on who he finds more difficult to race against.

Ferrari started the season with an impressive pace and results to match it. Charles Leclerc won 2 of the first 3 races of the season, hinting at Ferrari’s long-awaited resurgence. There was a point in the season when he was 46 points ahead of Verstappen. Despite that, he lost out on the championship with 4 races still to go.

Who does Charles Leclerc find more difficult to race against?

Mercedes introduced the final amendments to the car in the US. The changes made to the car paid off with impressive results as the Silver Arrows pipped Ferrari. Not only did Lewis Hamilton beat both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to take the podium on each occasion, but he also challenged Max Verstappen for the top finish.

Charles Leclerc in his latest interview with Motorsport.com Italian said, “I grew up together with Max and we have often faced each other in karting.” [Translated using Google] He continued, “I know Max well, and when I was dueling Lewis I always noticed his experience, he knows what he is doing.” [Translated using Google]

Leclerc heaped more praises on Hamilton. “I have a lot of respect for all he has achieved and for what he has done for the sport.”

Read More: “That’s Rude”: Fans Rush to Comfort Charles Leclerc as Teammate Carlos Sainz Hurts “Sensitive” Driver

Things haven’t gone Charles’s way as the season has progressed. Not only did he lose the championship to Max by a big margin, but he is also trailing Sergio Perez for the runners-up position in the drivers’ standings.

He is currently sitting in 3rd, 5 points behind Checo, and will hope to get some good results in the remaining two races to regain the position.

Charles Leclerc’s hilarious “mental training” rant

Both Ferrari drivers have suffered at the hands of faulty race and tire strategies. Even after progressing so far in the season, the car has reliability issues. How has Charles managed to stay calm amidst all this drama?

In one of his older live streams, Charles Leclerc ran into a car while playing F1 game. Resultantly, he was hit with a 5-second penalty. He went on a funny rant following the incident.

“Oh, my god. Honestly, this is the best mental training. I’ve got a 5-second grid penalty. What the h*ll is this? Honestly, this is the best mental training ever. I’ve never been so angry inside me.”

“I’m just staying calm. Look at me! Look at this! I’m just calm. I just don’t care. So I’ve got a broken neck, a broken computer, a screen that is not working, a five-second grid penalty, went from 2nd to 7th.”

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Do you think Leclerc will retake the 2nd position in the drivers’ standings?