Leclerc: I still believe in the championship

Early in the season, Leclerc led by 27 points at one stage, but since DNFs and mistakes from driver and team have allowed their rivals to turn the tide, significantly. He needed the summer break to clear his mind after his season had started so promisingly but then went south fast.

Leclerc won two of the first three races for Ferrari as Verstappen's Red Bull had reliability woes. But a staggering 126-point swing in the next 10 races gave Verstappen an impregnable-looking 80-point lead heading into Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, where the season resumes.

The mental strain built up for Leclerc as he was confronted with confusing team calls, while also getting furious at some of his own driving errors. The break came at an opportune time for a totally drained Leclerc.

"Yes, I needed it. The first part of the season has been full of highs or lows. There's lots of accumulation of emotions which leads to being tired," he said. "I used these weeks in the best way possible with my family, my friends. It was just great."

Leclerc saw two nailed-on wins disappear - at the Monaco Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix - after team calls dropped him down from a dominant position into fourth place.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix before the midseason break, Verstappen qualified a season-worst 10th yet somehow won for a season-leading eighth victory.

Another confusing tire strategy call cost Leclerc when he was in a dominant position and he finished a disappointing sixth - one week after beating himself up for crashing when leading the French GP.

But Leclerc, who leads with seven pole positions this season, has unshakable belief: "I still believe in the championship of course. It's going to be a very difficult challenge but I will believe in it until the very end."

Unless Verstappen is dogged by the reliability issues that led to two DNFs in the first three races, Leclerc pretty much has to beat him in every race left. There are nine races go, including this weekend's GP.

Seemingly impossible runs have been done before. Back in 2013, Sebastian Vettel won nine straight races after the break to win his fourth straight title.

"It's easier to say than to do it, but I'll give my best," said Leclerc, who won his first race at the same Spa-Francorchamps track in 2019.

Spa, which is Verstappen's favorite track, is close to Leclerc's heart. His victory came the day after F2 driver Anthoine Hubert died after a crash on the track.

"It is a very special track for me. I think for every driver the first victory is very special," Leclerc said. "I got it here in very strange conditions, with what happened on the Saturday with Anthoine. "

The weekend in Spain got off to a good start for Leclerc and his Ferrari team, with Carlos Sainz fastest in FP1, fractionally faster than his teammate; Verstappen was third, a tenth and a bit adrift of the Reds.