A dormant rivalry — that’s the best way to describe the on-track equation between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in 2025. Both have known each other since they were in karting, and have also clashed in F1 a few times. But knowing Verstappen for a long time has not presented any advantage whatsoever to Leclerc.
The closest thing to a Leclerc-Verstappen rivalry the F1 world saw was at the beginning of the 2022 season when Ferrari was right up there with Red Bull as the fastest team on the grid. Respectful, clean, but hard racing. That’s what the duo treated the F1 community to, be it only in the initial races in Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, and Miami.
It was also unlike the battles Verstappen has had with his other rivals, most notably Lewis Hamilton — with whom tensions reached fever pitch during their 2021 title battle.
While the Monegasque’s title bid went off the rails later in 2022, his tussles with the Red Bull champion stood out. This wasn’t because Leclerc knew how to deal with Verstappen better than others. In fact, he didn’t have any upper hand.
“It’s true, we’ve been rivals since we were kids,” Leclerc said to AutoHebdo. “We do indeed know each other very well, but that doesn’t make things any easier.”
Per Leclerc, the Dutchman has a distinct on-track personality that makes him as good as he is. The same goes for Hamilton. “You have to adapt to each of them,” the #16 driver added.
That said, Leclerc and Verstappen did have their share of scuffles in the past, which most likely gave the Ferrari driver an idea of what to expect from him on the track. One of their crashes during karting days also gave birth to an interaction, that although heated, has turned out to be a big meme today.
Leclerc and Verstappen’s ‘inchident’ and the banter
A young Verstappen was asked what happened between him and Leclerc, and he went on to explain — just as he often does today — in great detail. Leclerc on the other hand, when probed with the same question, shrugged the severity off and replied, “Nothing, just an inchident.”
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It became a meme because of Leclerc’s French accent, and the F1 paddock has gone to great lengths to recreate the moment and keep the fun alive.
Even Verstappen has gone on the make fun of this ‘inchident’ with Leclerc, most notably during one of his famous streams where he was competing in a virtual race. It suggests that the sour relationship they had developed during their karting has been repaired and that the two are on good terms now.
“It’s very good now,” Verstappen said in an older interview about his relationship with Leclerc. “Back in the day, in go-karting, our relationship wasn’t that great.”
However, how long the peace lasts between these two great drivers remains to be seen. The reason they’ve avoid conflict is that they haven’t gotten in each other’s way in pursuit of a title.
It’s safe to say that the F1 paddock could witness a lot more “inchidents” if the two ever go neck to neck for the championship.
