Charles Leclerc admits that he used to hate Max Verstappen when he was younger, as the rivalry between them goes far back into their teenage years.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are of the same age. Thus, the two have often faced each other at every stage of their motorsport career. That led to a fierce rivalry before they even entered F1.
Now, with Ferrari’s resurgence, Verstappen and Leclerc are once again locking horns against each other for the F1 championship. So far, the rivalry between them has been clean and respectful.
But the Monegasque race driver reveals that it hasn’t been like this. He admits to the BBC that both drivers used to hate each other during his younger days.
“It is going to be very close. It has always been very close,” said Leclerc. “In karting, it was either me or him and that’s why we hated each other at one point because very often it didn’t end in the best way possible.”
Three Races. Three Battles. 🍿@Charles_Leclerc 🆚 @Max33Verstappen
Enjoy four minutes and eight seconds of the two going wheel-to-wheel 🤩#F1 pic.twitter.com/LCWXWCXcSA
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 16, 2022
Charles Leclerc confident for Imola
After winning two out of the first three races of the season, Ferrari heads to Italy to compete, where they are set to receive massive support. Thus, Leclerc is pretty confident about his team’s chances this weekend.
“I am very excited,” he said. “After the first three races, everything has gone our way, and we seem to have a very strong car this year. I know we have had so much support here in the past, so to be here in that position, I am sure it will be special.”
“But the most important this weekend is to not overdo things, which is easy whenever there is excitement and when things are going well. So we need to stay focused on our job and not try to do too much and hopefully it will be a positive weekend.”
Leclerc is currently leading the drivers’ championship by a mile. Verstappen will undoubtedly be under massive pressure amidst his car reliability issues if the Ferrari superstar registers another win on Sunday.
Additionally, with the sprint race, drivers have more points to bag this weekend. Will Leclerc benefit from that remains to be seen.
Also read: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2022 Weather Forecast: What is the weather forecast at Imola this weekend?
