Verstappen and Leclerc impress in duels: 'Rivals since karting'

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have already put the heat on each other several times in the first two races of this season. The two title rivals brought out the best in each other in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia, with multiple battles for the race lead. So far, each driver managed to win a race and according to Karun Chandhok, we are going to see both drivers on the podium many times.

"They're young drivers who have been rivals since go-kart days a decade ago, so it's fantastic to see them now at the top of Formula 1," explained the former F1 driver in conversation with Sky Sports. Last season Verstappen was also involved in a title fight, then with Lewis Hamilton. That often caused fireworks and spectacle, but also the necessary criticism.

Respectful wheel-to-wheel racing

We haven't seen scenes like that between Leclerc and Verstappen yet this season and if it's up to Chandhok, we won't see it anytime soon either. The Sky analyst notices from the duels that the two talents have a lot of respect for each other. As a result, they trust each other in the battles and they also know what to expect from each other.

For example, Leclerc played Verstappen very smartly in Bahrain, because he knew that the Dutchman would go for the gap in the first corner, after which he could attack back towards turn four. "They've clearly got a lot of respect for each other. They have both said that the fact they've been racing so long means that they're able to compete wheel to wheel and still give each other the room and the space," Chandhok concluded.