Despite Just 6 Points on Board, Charles Leclerc Backed With Full Enthusiasm as Max Verstappen’s Hot Form Dissed Badly

Five out of the possible six podiums. Three out of three wins. First in both championships. And the car is second to none. These are the stats showing the current dominance of Red Bull, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are enjoying a great time at the front of the grid in their RB19. And joining them has been a much-welcomed surprise: Fernando Alonso, who seems to have made a permanent seat in third place displacing Charles Leclerc.

For many fans, these podiums so far have been great. But they have been an unpleasant sight for Mercedes and Ferrari fans, as the Milton-Keynes-based squad appears to be indestructible. One of the most prominent Tifosi, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security of Italy, has expressed similar thoughts. Fratin isn’t pleased with the Ferrari results so far as it stands fourth in constructors’ and Charles Leclerc tenth with 6 points and Carlos Sainz fifth with just 20. However, being an Italian, he can only support the “Italian motorsport national team,” i.e., Ferrari. 

Fratin, being a die-hard Tifosi himself, believes that Red Bull’s dominance and its drivers, along with Fernando Alonso on the podium, are not good for the sport. “Having Verstappen, Perez and even Alonso up front at the moment is not attractive for the Grand Prix. Formula 1 is a great show, we trust a lot in Sainz and Leclerc, who are a bit behind at the moment,” said Fratin, quoted by Formula Passion, dissing Max Verstappen and backing the Ferrari drivers ahead of the coming weekends in Italy.

READ MORE: Despite a Distant Championship Hope, Sergio Perez Shown the Hard Facts About the Dominant Max Verstappen

Formula 1 fans fear a Mercedes-like dominance from Red Bull could kill the joy of the sport that was renewed after a long time. It seems like the minister is also a believer in the theory.

Carlos Sainz poses a challenge to Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc has been the Ferrari poster boy for almost five years now. Believed to be the chosen one for the team, he hasn’t had a great time over the years. And now, being Tifosi’s favorite, he is backed to get in front even as Sainz stands 14 points ahead. The Monegasque is the one with whom the fans’ believe is stronger.

Former Benetton and Prost team manager Joan Villaldeprat, as quoted by Planet F1 from El Confidencial, backed Leclerc, saying, “Because Leclerc is coming back, and very strong…His weight, even today, is more than Carlos in Ferrari, he is more considered than Carlos today, and the first mission is to make Carlos more considered than Leclerc.” [translated by Google]

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The faith shown in Leclerc by everyone in and around Ferrari has been impeccable. The hopes pinned are perhaps too high, and the pressure is even higher for the #16 driver.