Max Verstappen’s aggression makes him a more fun, yet dangerous foe to race against than Lewis Hamilton, says Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Appearing on Sky Sports F1‘s vodcast, Leclerc was asked which of his two Formula 1 rivals he ‘trusts’ more to race against, and the Monegasque did not shy away with his answer.
“If I want to be sure to finish the race, probably Lewis!” he said. “But for the fun and the close racing probably Max, because I know it’s always exciting to be fighting with Max.
“There’s very little space given but I think that’s what we all enjoy with the sport. Sometimes it’s a bit over the limit, sometimes it’s just on the limit, but I enjoy racing it in reality.”
The stars of two memorable battles in 2019 at the Austrian and British Grands Prix, both Leclerc and Verstappen found themselves pushing the limits in their attempts to one-up each other. In contrast, Leclerc sees Hamilton as taking a more cerebral approach with his wheel-to-wheel racing.
“Lewis is a bit of a different driving [style]. He’s extremely clever and I learn always so much when I fight with Lewis.
“He always knows exactly what you are going to do next with his experience, and that’s what makes him so good on track with the battles.
“He’s not very aggressive, always very correct, but always very good to anticipate what you are going to do.”
The reigning, six-time world champion, Hamilton has certainly earned his reputation as a complete driver. Having said that, he has never shied away from using raw aggression when required, particularly in his duels with old teammate Nico Rosberg.