"Impossible": Charles Leclerc can never match Max Verstappen's level while driving for Ferrari, according to Peter Windsor

F1 pundit Peter Windsor believes Charles Leclerc can never match Max Verstappen's level as long as he is driving for Ferrari. Windsor believes that Verstappen's achievements with Red Bull are intrinsically tied to their relationship, making it difficult for Leclerc to match.

While Ferrari seemed competitive enough to match the Austrian team at the start of 2022, they soon succumbed to strategic and driver errors.

This year, however, the Italian team is nowhere compared to Red Bull, giving Max Verstappen a free run to the finish line.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor believes Charles Leclerc will never be as successful as Verstappen, given that he has to manage a lot of other things besides just driving. Windsor said:

"If he’s at Ferrari, I don’t know what he needs, but he needs a car as quick as a Red Bull and no politics. [It’s] impossible. He’s not gonna achieve Max’s level, in my opinion, because he’s got too much other stuff going on in his brain to focus on being as good as Max is right now.”

Leclerc will first have to deal with Ferrari's numerous challenges before he is able to focus solely on achieving what Verstappen has with Red Bull.

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Charles Leclerc wishes to challenge Red Bull for the win

Charles Leclerc hopes that Ferrari is eventually able to challenge Red Bull for the win after a dismal 2023 season so far for the Scuderia. The Monegasque wishes to dethrone Max Verstappen, who is the clear class of the field at the moment.

According to Charles Leclerc, Ferrari's ultimate goal is to consistently close the gap and challenge for victories. He stated the following to the media ahead of the 2023 F1 British GP:

"We want to be challenging Red Bull for the win, but we've taken a step in the right direction for sure."

However, the Scuderia team seemed to progress backward in Silverstone, finishing ninth and tenth after struggling for pace compared to its rivals. The twisty, high-downforce track in Hungary is likely to suit the Italian team a lot more than Red Bull, giving them another shot at redemption.

Max Verstappen put in the performance of his life in Hungary last year, winning the race despite it not being a strong track for his RB18. It will be interesting to see if Ferrari is able to get the best of Red Bull in Hungary this weekend.