"I don't think Verstappen is afraid to take on me."

The newer generation of F1 drivers are already involved in a lot of sim racing anyway. Now that the season is on a long break a lot of simraces are organised in which F1 drivers also participate. At the official online Grands Prix Charles Leclerc still misses his big rival Max Verstappen.

Just like Lando Norris and Leclerc, Verstappen drives a lot of simraces to get through the F1 drought. The Dutchman is only absent from the simraces organised by the official F1-channels. Ferrari driver Leclerc asks himself where his rival remains.

To Corriere dello Sport the Monegask replies: "I really don't know why Verstappen isn't participating in the virtual Grand Prix. Of course I can't answer for him. But I don't think he is afraid to compete against me online in F1-2019 either."

Also nice for the fans

"It would be nice to race against Verstappen online. That would also be nice for the fans", concludes Leclerc.

Leclerc thinks the fans don't value the performance of the drivers during a sim race very much. Leclerc himself already won a virtual GP twice. He himself doesn't attach much value to that either: "Everyone wants to win. So even when you race in the sim, you want to win and not come second. However, if you do finish last, everyone knows that it doesn't mean anything about your qualities as a driver".

The fans now also see more than just the driver on the track. That's how the driver explains: "By racing online, people see a completely different side of us. The fans who follow us through our cameras all see how we are at home every day. They also see me more as a normal guy now than as a driver."