"A lot of punch and counter-punch action" predicted between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc by F1 pundit

F1 TV pundit and former driver Martin Brundle predicts a season-long battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The Briton predicts another DRS battle between the two championship protagonists, with both drivers battling hard like in Jeddah and Bahrain.

Leclerc pipped Verstappen at the 2022 F1 Australian GP qualifying to take his second pole position of the season. With the two drivers looking like possible championship protagonists, Brundle claims there are many more battles to come between the two. The Briton expects a cat-and-mouse game, similar to that in Jeddah and Bahrain, where the two drivers strategically let the other pass only to retake the lead using DRS. Brundle said:

“These cars are better at overtaking; we’ve seen that in the first two races. The track has also been opened up a lot and then [there are] four Drag Reduction System zones [now reduced to three], and two detection points for those. We are going to see a lot of punch and counter-punch action, I think, as we’ve seen with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in the first couple of races. This [race] is going to be a long way north of an average 150 miles per hour around the walls, around the lake here. There won’t be too many small accidents at those speeds.”

---

Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc battle to get heated soon, claims Martin Brundle

Max Verstappen's fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021 left a bad taste in the mouths of many. The drivers battled hard throughout the season, potentially souring relations between the two 2021 title contenders. While Verstappen and Leclerc have shown nothing but respect for each other so far in 2022, Martin Brundle expects a certain level of animosity between the two drivers.

The former driver elaborated, saying:

“I love it because there is a lot of respect between the two of them; I don’t know how long that can last. When they’re giving it ‘high-five’ and ‘well done’ and ‘what a great race’ together, it’s really lovely to see, actually. I really enjoyed that in Saudi. It will get serious as the championship moves along, with these two young drivers.”

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen missed out on pole position by 0.286 seconds, a sizeable margin considering the length of the Melbourne track. 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix pole-sitter Sergio Perez finished the session in P3, displaying his new-found qualifying prowess despite being up against the Dutchman and Charles Leclerc. Catch the action live as 2022's third round takes place around Albert Park on Sunday.