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Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen will, in all probability, battle for the lead in the championship early in the season. The two young drivers had an intense battle in the first race of the season as well. During the battle, it did appear that there was a level of caution addressed by Verstappen while battling the Ferrari driver.
It was close and hard racing but it did appear that the imminent threat of a Mercedes rearguard with Lewis Hamilton later in the season was at the back of both drivers' minds. Hence, they were wary of not losing points due to contact between the two.
Charles Leclerc was questioned by Niharika Ghorpade of Sportskeeda about how aggressively he and Verstappen can battle this year, especially with a constant threat from Hamilton at the back. Reaffirming that he will continue to race the way he always has, Leclerc said:
“I think it is quite clear what we are allowed to do while battling in the race. We will be right at the limit of the rules and that’s the way I enjoy racing, when it’s hard but fair and when the limits are very clear and I think it is so, whether there is Lewis at the back or not I will be racing the same way and I hope we are as competitive as we were in Bahrain.”
Charles Leclerc leads drivers' championship at the moment
Charles Leclerc is leading the championship with 26 points in the bag after his victory in the first race of the season. Two of his main rivals, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, are on zero and 15 points respectively.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that both Leclerc and Verstappen have been involved in a wheel-to-wheel battle. They previously clashed in the 2019 season when the Dutchman charged his way through the field at the Austrian GP and took over the lead from Leclerc near the end of the race.
The pair clashed again at the British GP that season when the Monegasque put up a valiant effort against the fast-charging Red Bull of Verstappen.
Last season was the first opportunity for Verstappen to challenge for the title and he stepped up to win it. This season will be the first such opportunity for Leclerc and it remains to be seen what he can do with it.
