Brundle expects big battle Verstappen and Leclerc: "It'll get serious"

"We’re going to see a lot of punch and counter punch action as we’ve seen with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in the first couple of races," said the Formula 1 commentator during a preview of the weekend in conversation with Sky Sports. Brundle then indicated that he enjoys the rivalry between Verstappen and Leclerc. "There’s a lot of respect between them and I don’t know how long that can last for, but when they’re giving each other high fives and well done and what a great race together. It’s really lovely to see actually."

The former F1 driver does suspect that later in the season things will not be so friendly between the two generational rivals. "It’ll get serious as the championship moves along," he said. Moreover, teammates will also start to get involved in the battle for the world championship or else snatch important points away from the competition. "I’d expect Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez to join in as well."

Due to the many straights in Australia, Red Bull seems to have some advantage next weekend, Leclerc stated on Thursday. Where Ferrari in the first two Grands Prix of the year mainly had to rely on the speed in the corners and the excellent traction, Red Bull clearly had the upper hand on the straights. During the free practice sessions we will get a first indication of the proportions in Melbourne.