As teams and drivers are preparing for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Charles Leclerc is getting ready to battle Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. One of the common things that Leclerc and Verstappen will have for this weekend, is that they are both starting from the back of the grid due to new engines.

The Monegasque racing driver is well aware of the threat that the Red Bull prodigy possesses. But is optimistic about gaining positions soon as the lights go out on Sunday afternoon.

 Charles Leclerc is well aware of the pace of Verstappen

Leclerc and Verstappen are some of the fiercest drivers on the F1 grid, but a grid penalty hampers their chances of getting a good result for their respective teams this weekend.

However, the Ferrari driver knows what the Dutch driver is capable of, and knows that he has good speed. Nevertheless, Leclerc plans to throw everything at him when they battle each other this weekend.

As quoted by Motorsport.Total, Leclerc said, “He’s a little faster than us. But I’ll try to use him to just overtake the other cars behind him.” (Translated via Google Translate)

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How did they perform in the practice sessions?

Both Charles and Max brought their A-game to Sochi for the first practices session of the weekend. The Dutch driver found himself third on the timesheet, while Leclerc was down in fourth.

However, both of them failed to make an impact in FP2 as they did in the first session. Verstappen had fallen down to sixth place, while Leclerc had to settle for tenth place on the timesheet.

Both of them will be starting from the back of the grid, but it is no doubt they will gain some positions as they zip around Sochi and aim to bag some much-needed points for the driver’s championship and the constructor’s championship?

Who do you think will come out on top this weekend? Will it be Ferrari’s Charles or the Red Bull prodigy? Let us know in the comments below.

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