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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc believes he is as aggressive as Max Verstappen in a race and enjoys hard racing. Contrary to Lewis Hamilton, who dueled with the Dutchman in the 2021 season and was often taken by surprise with some of the latter's moves on track, the Monegasque anticipated most of the reigning champion’s tactics in the Bahrain GP.
Speaking to The Race, Leclerc claimed he enjoyed the aggressive racing with Verstappen, saying:
“But anyway, it was not a problem for me. It’s a type of racing I like. It is hard racing, as we have seen with Max in the past. But I’m also an aggressive driver in the way I fight with others. I enjoy hard racing like this but fair racing. So I don’t think there was anything wrong in all of those overtakes.”
Contrary to Hamilton, who was critical of the Dutch champion’s aggressive racing style in the 2021 title campaign, Leclerc was more relaxed and prepared. The Ferrari driver revealed he enjoys racing aggressively and believes the Red Bull champion is not the only aggressive driver on the grid.
Describing the initial duel with Verstappen, Leclerc said:
“With the first three overtakes, I knew he was going to try, so I wasn’t surprised. I expected it and actually I wanted it. Because I knew that if he wasn’t overtaking me there he would overtake me on the run to Turn 4 with the DRS.”
Anticipating the Dutchman’s tactics into the initial few corners, Leclerc expected a lunge at Turn 4. The Monegasque, however, was prepared to counter Verstappen’s moves through all three overtakes. Leclerc and Verstappen have often dueled in the past. Furthermore, the younger generation of drivers has also sim raced which each other, anticipating each other’s driving tactics far better than the senior generation of drivers on the F1 grid.
Charles Leclerc was surprised when Max Verstappen locked up in Bahrain GP
The Monegasque revealed he was surprised when the Dutch driver locked up at a particular point in the race, just ahead of Turn 1, in their final battle at the Bahrain GP. Although he felt Max Verstappen had made a late move, the lock-up made it easier for him to fight back for position.
Delving into the details of the duel with Verstappen, Charles Leclerc said:
“So I was on purpose braking very early into Turn 1 to be just behind in the DRS detection and to get it on the run to Turn 4 to get him back. It always worked out. On one overtake I was surprised, the one where he locked up and it was a bit more of a late move.”
After the race, it was understood that Max Verstappen had steering issues, due to which he was unable to duel the Monegasque properly into the corners. The reigning champion was heard complaining about both balance and steering wheel problems on his radio throughout the race in Bahrain.
