Charles Leclerc is looking to renew his rivalry with Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend despite having been nowhere close to challenging the Dutchman for a win this year. As things stand in the championship, he is a whopping 240 points behind the Red Bull driver. Despite the same, the Monegasque recently issued Verstappen a challenge while giving an interview to Sky Sports Italy.
In his interview, Leclerc admitted that the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull is huge currently but not “irrecoverable.” Moreover, he also believes that he can fight Verstappen for the win at Monza this weekend as the Italian crowd can push his side to take an unbelievable victory in front of their home fans.
Good to be back on the podium !
Good race today, we maximized everything. Now time to recharge the batteries for a few weeks 🙂 pic.twitter.com/GN0lArKEh5— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) July 30, 2023
Leclerc’s recent remarks come after having previously revealed how he is ready to fight like an “animal.” In an interview with rtbf.be, the 25-year-old made it clear that he means business when he is racing and will not be given an inch to his rivals.
Charles Leclerc keen to challenge Max Verstappen for the win
In his interview with Sky Sports Italy, Charles Leclerc explained how it is remarkable to race in front of the Ferrari fans at Monza, having watched the Le Mans race earlier this year. He stated that he cannot wait to see the grandstands filled with red as this gives him a “special feeling.” The Monegasque then added that he is looking to feed off the same energy to challenge Max Verstappen.
“Verstappen is beatable. We already did it last year, even if not enough. We can do it again. We must all work in the same direction. The gap is large but not irrecoverable“, explained Leclerc. However, the Ferrari driver did admit that beating the Dutchman anytime soon would be far from easy.
Leclerc afraid Ferrari may take three years to catch up to Red Bull
In another interview, Charles Leclerc explained how he fears that Ferrari may be unable to catch up to Red Bull for another three years. As quoted by racingnews365.com, the Monegasque explained how the Milton Keynes outfit has such an advantage currently that it may take approximately until the next regulations to launch a fight against them.
The next time there will be a significant change in regulations will be in 2026. During that season, there will also be another significant change that may impact Red Bull’s domination. Since the Milton Keynes outfit will produce their own engines for the first time in collaboration with Ford, they will find themselves in unchartered territory.
