With only five victories, compared to Verstappen’s 44 and Hamilton’s 103, Charles Leclerc has yet to achieve the same level of success as his competitors. While Mercedes ruled Formula One for seven years, the sport is now in the midst of the Verstappen-Red Bull era. He sure has learned a lot from them.
For the last several years, Leclerc has competed alongside Verstappen and Hamilton. Last year, the Monégasque driver competed for the crown against Red Bull’s top driver. On his way to win in last year’s Australian Grand Prix, he overtook Verstappen three times and learned a lot about the Dutchman’s racing style. As for Hamilton, they went through Copse together at least season’s British Grand Prix.
Now, the Ferrari driver has come out to an Italian publication to point out fundamental differences in their driving techniques.
Hamilton’s clever driving acknowledged by Leclerc
When questioned by the Italian media about who he feels is harder to beat between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc responded that they both have very distinct driving styles, making it impossible to tell who is harder to beat. Verstappen, according to Leclerc, is an aggressive driver who constantly pushes himself to the edge. He likes this strategy since it results in dramatic clashes. Verstappen is also an excellent overtaker who is not afraid to take chances.
Charles acknowledged the fact that the seven-time world champion is a more skilled driver if compared to Max. He is less aggressive, despite being more focused on the race. He went to add on to that and say that Hamilton is an expert at setting his car and is constantly hunting for opportunities to overtake.
According to Leclerc Verstappen has made no mistakes in 2023, but he is not unstoppable. He stated that Ferrari had before defeated Verstappen and that they can do it again. Ferrari must narrow the deficit between Red Bull and Verstappen.
Mercedes sets sights on 2024 success
The German manufacturer earned its first pole position of the season at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton edged out Max Verstappen by 0.003 seconds. However this happiness wasn’t long-lasting as Hamilton’s Mercedes W14 was no match for Verstappen’s Red Bull in the race, and he dropped down the order to finish fourth – about 40 seconds behind the winner.
Mercedes wanted to return to the top of Formula One following a disappointing 2022 season this year, but once again was unable to do so. At best, the German constructor has been competing for a podium spot this season. Toto Wolff, team leader, thinks that is unlikely to alter this year, given the development of the vehicle for this season has already come to a halt and postponed for next year.
Team principal Toto Wolf recognising the problem on his hands said this in the mid-season review on Youtube: “The sails are set for 2024, now with the car development almost stopped for this year. I find that good because there is so much we can optimize on the current car without looking too much onto upgrades. Let’s see how we can really get it into more of a sweet spot, whilst gaining lots of understanding for next year.”
What do you think of the differences in driving techniques between Lewis and Max? Please share your thoughts about the 2024 season in the comments section below.
