Verstappen possesses 'specialty': 'Has a better feel for it'

The 2022 Formula One season looks set to be a battle between Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen take the lead, but Pedro de la Rosa sees Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz also joining this duel. According to the Spaniard, top drivers with the current cars in fact make less of a difference.

Title fight in 2022

After two Grands Prix in 2022, it is safe to say that Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have built the best cars for this season. Of course, a lot can still change in a season, but the gap to the competition is particularly large. Although Leclerc and Verstappen were clearly the better team in the first races, De la Rosa doesn't think it will stay that way.

''It's a two plus two battle. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, as you can see, are just one step ahead, but I wouldn't underestimate Carlos. He's a very clever driver who knows how to get closer. And look at Checo, he could have won the race (in Saudi Arabia). So potentially the title fight could be between four drivers,'' says the Spaniard at the F1 Nation Podcast.

Verstappen makes an impression

According to the former Formula 1 driver, this is also because the cars are less difficult to drive. The heavy cars give the drivers more time, where a restless and light car allows the best drivers to come out on top. The man with one podium behind his name especially enjoyed Verstappen in that area in recent years.

''If you looked at the onboard images of Max in the past when his teammate was still struggling to adapt to the Red Bull, you could see that he (Max) didn't have to work as hard. Those drivers just have a different sensitivity for what that car is going to do. They can push the car more to the limit without having to correct all the time. Max is extremely smooth when on the onboard camera, Lewis is too,'' De la Rosa concludes.