“I disliked Max when we were younger”– Charles Leclerc on his rivalry with Red Bull ace Max Verstappen during karting days

“I disliked Max when we were younger”– Charles Leclerc mentions a sour relation with Max Verstappen when they were karting against each other.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc at the start of their F1 careers were mentioned as the future of Formula 1, and often they have justified their tags, especially Verstappen, who is closest to the championship title more than ever.

However, the two drivers didn’t have a cordial relationship when they were starting with their motorsport career, and Leclerc remembers not liking him.

“To be honest, I’m not allergic to Hamilton or Verstappen though. I can deal with both of them just fine. I disliked Max when we were younger and we fought each other in karts or little single-seaters,” said Leclerc corriere.it.

“While Lewis was driving F1 by then. Now they’re just two drivers I’d like to overtake with my own car.”

Intense fights and drama

On the internet, a video of both drivers during their karting days got viral when Verstappen was furious with Leclerc for allegedly jeopardizing his raise. Later, Leclerc also shared his opinion on the incident.

It was astonishing and hilarious at the same time to see both drivers being so competitive at such a young age and now extending that rivalry into their present day.

The two drivers have often seen locking horns against each other, especially in 2019, where Leclerc was in his debut season with Ferrari and had an epic battle with Verstappen during the British Grand Prix.

However, since then, Ferrari’s levels have dropped down, whereas Red Bull has upgraded their challenge to compete against Mercedes for the title, so now Leclerc and Verstappen are hardly seen competing against each other.

But both of them still have a long way to go, and surely one day, they would be vying against each other for the wins and revive the young rivalry the F1 fans fell in love with instantly.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

Read More