via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – March 26, 2022 First placed Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with second placed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and third placed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. after qualifying REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – March 26, 2022 First placed Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with second placed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and third placed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. after qualifying REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have gone wheel-to-wheel at the start of the 2022 season. Both are driving arguably the fastest cars on the grid with Ferrari and Red Bull. But Leclerc has won two races to Verstappen’s one this season.
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But former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine mentioned Charles is more intelligent than Max. During their battles in the 2022 season, Leclerc has outsmarted Verstappen on most occasions. The world champion finally caught up to the Monegasque driver’s tricks and passed him to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
READ MORE: The F1 Points System Explained
But the Red Bull driver has made more mistakes this season as compared to Charles. Their points tally in the driver’s championship reflects which driver has been better in 2022.
Irvine reveals how Charles Leclerc outsmarts Max Verstappen
Despite his criticism of the world champion, Irvine mentioned that the Red Bull driver is the most talented driver on the grid. Eddie revealed that the Dutch driver reminds him of Michael Schumacher frequently.
👤 Eddie Irvine
🎙 "Leclerc çok zeki, kendi karakterine sahip ve olgun birisi. Onunla kıyaslayınca Verstappen zihinsel olarak biraz daha toy görünüyor, ancak çok yetenekli. Kimsenin Verstappen'den daha hızlı olduğuna inanmıyorum." #F1 pic.twitter.com/j4Qlaw1E3p
— Motorsport.com Türkiye (@motorsportcomtr) April 16, 2022
“I don’t believe anyone is faster than Verstappen, but he still makes a lot of mistakes. Leclerc doesn’t. Leclerc is very intelligent, has his own character, and is mature. Compared to him, Verstappen looks a little naïve mentally, but he’s very talented,” said the former F1 driver.
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via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 20, 2022, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc line up with drivers before the race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
“Both drivers are very strong. Lewis Hamilton is also outstanding, but I don’t think he has the same pace as Verstappen. Max reminds me of Michael Schumacher. He can maintain a great race pace and no one else in the same car comes close to him,” said Eddie.
WATCH THIS STORY: Top 5 wins of Max Verstappen’s F1 career
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It is certainly interesting to hear the comments of Irvine and his comparisons between the two championship challengers. It is true that the Red Bull driver makes a lot more mistakes than Leclerc. But in 2021, he showed he can be super consistent and sometimes untouchable during race weekends.
It would be fascinating to see both drivers not make any mistakes during the race and battle hard till the end, just like in Saudi Arabia, for the rest of the season. Max is facing some reliability concerns from his end, and if he resolves them, he can surely challenge the Ferrari driver.
