Max Verstappen showing "a different sense of attitude" against Charles Leclerc when compared to Lewis Hamilton last year, says former F1 driver

John Watson believes Max Verstappen raced Charles Leclerc differently in 2022 compared to his battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. The former F1 driver believes the Dutchman has been more patient and composed in his title campaign in 2022.

Speaking to Racing News 365 in an exclusive, the former F1 driver said:

“What we’re seeing with Verstappen is that, in ’22, he appears to show a different maturity than he had shown all the way up until the end of ’21. He made errors, in my opinion, in ’21 which cost him – he should have won that World Championship way before we got to Abu Dhabi. The incident at Silverstone, the incident at Monza, inhibited him from winning that championship [earlier].”

Watson noted that Max Verstappen has matured as a driver, and this growth has been reflected in his 2022 campaign. The former F1 driver believes there is a stark difference in attitude with the Dutchman in 2022 compared to 2021 where he would refuse to concede to Lewis Hamilton and clash on the tracks in Silverstone and Monza. Judging the Red Bull driver's performance over the entire 2021 season, Watson felt the Dutchman could have wrapped his 2021 title much earlier than the Abu Dhabi GP.

Talking about Max Verstappen's change in mindset from 2021 to 2022, the former F1 driver said:

“What Verstappen appears to do now is show a different sense of attitude in his racing with Leclerc, there is not that aggressive driving style that I saw all the way through Verstappen’s career, when he was battling with Hamilton. He is a totally different character and style battling with Leclerc. Much, much different, and much more considered.”

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Former F1 driver compares Max Verstappen’s title fights with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc

The former F1 driver believes that Max Verstappen previously adopted an attitude of never conceding on track, which led to the clashes with Hamilton. However, with Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman has remained composed and fine-tuned his aggressive driving style.

Wehn asked if Max Verstappen was fighting Leclerc and Ferrari differently due to the circumstances of the battle or because of the lead in the championship, Watson said:

“I think it’s a bit of both. I think he saw Hamilton as ‘I need to dominate this guy.’ A need to beat him down and make him know ‘I’m the new, fastest guy in Formula 1.’ I think he used some of that mentality, or whatever you choose to call it, in his approach to racing with Hamilton. In other words, ‘I will never lift off. I’ll never concede,’ which I don’t agree with. That’s not part of my philosophy as a racing driver. But I think that’s the direction he pursued."

Watson also talked about Verstappen's current attitude:

“This year, now that Mercedes are not the competitive team at the present time, his battles with Leclerc have been a much more mature and considered battle. He didn’t know in advance that Ferrari were going to have all these DNfs or failures or whatever. Nevertheless, when he was battling with Leclerc, he had already moderated or reined in that over-aggressive style that he’s illustrated all the way through his career, but principally in his battles with Lewis.”

Many have noted that the 2021 championship was also a battle between two drivers belonging to different generations. However, Max Verstappen himself has admitted several times that battling Leclerc felt more natural to him as he was a driver from his generation who he had grown up racing against. Both drivers admitted to being well versed with each other's racing styles for most of their careers, which made it easier for them to battle on the track.