Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have been going wheel to wheel-against each other for quite some time now. In their early karting days in 2012, a moment between the two future F1 stars took place. The moment saw Verstappen in an angry avatar, whereas Leclerc was relatively calm compared to him and called it just an “inchident”. Now, 11 years later, the Monegasque has come up to talk about how the Dutchman saw a major temperamental change in him, as per the Chequered Flag podcast.
Up until 2021, the two-time world champion was regarded as a reckless and fearless driver who often pulled off risky moves around the track. However, his real hot-headed days were the early days when he began his F1 journey, but he became much less error-prone these days.
Furthermore, the Dutchman was also criticized for being a risk on the track. So much so that he would pull off any moves to get a track position. Verstappen was also named a menace on the track who was very aggressive on track with his opponents.
Charles Leclerc claims Max Verstappen has ‘calmed down’
The ‘Inchident’ moment between Leclerc and Verstappen was an example of how aggressive the Red Bull driver was. However, things with the Dutch driver calmed down a lot as Verstappen developed mentally over time.
As Leclerc emphasized on Verstappen’s changed behavior, he said on the Chequered Flag podcast, “I think he calmed down quite a bit. I remember our karting days and we were going for it and obviously then with experience, he calmed down a bit.”
Pole for the race on Sunday 🤝 A great start to the weekend @redbullracing 🚀
Full focus to the job at hand tomorrow 💪 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/9RNcoiAizq
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) October 6, 2023
As the Ferrari driver felt the change in the defending champion, F1 expert and commentator Will Buxton also felt the same. He also shared his thoughts on the two-time world champion.
Buxton synced with Leclerc on Verstappen’s recent changes
As Leclerc praised Verstappen on the latter’s maturity over the years and how he had one more great season, Buxton shared similar thoughts with the Ferrari driver.
Talking about this, he said that the Red Bull driver’s changes in terms of maturity is what surprised him. Especially thinking about how Verstappen has calmed down coming into 2023. Citing the reason, Buxton shared that the decrease in competition might be one of the reactions.
Admittedly, Max Verstappen is yet to see competition from the grid this season. On top of this, experts expect the Red Bull man to continue his dominance in the upcoming days.
