Leclerc takes Verstappen into account: "Max will definitely be fast"

Charles Leclerc surprisingly had to cede the fastest time in the second free practice session to George Russell and Mercedes. The German racing team seems to be in a good position, but Leclerc also expects a lot from Red Bull Racing. According to the young Monegasque, Max Verstappen will soon be back in the race.

On the new Miami circuit, Verstappen only managed fifteen laps in 120 minutes. Not an ideal start of the weekend for Red Bull, because especially now it is important to collect a lot of data. In the second free practice Verstappen didn't set a time and he finished nineteenth, but Leclerc thinks Verstappen can just fight for pole position again in qualifying.

"Max [Verstappen] will be quick, for sure; whenever they solve their problems, they will be quick," Leclerc is quoted by Formula 1's official website. The big surprise at the moment is Mercedes. "They seem to be very strong and also on the high-fuel pace they were strong, so they might be the surprise this weekend, and it would be nice if they could join the battle with Red Bull and ourselves."

Field close together in Miami

Leclerc himself is enjoying driving on the street circuit in the United States. He agrees that it is very challenging. "“It’s very tricky track. But yes, it’s nice, I like it, I enjoy it, it seems like the field is much closer together than what we’ve seen since the beginning of the season so it should be exciting. But we definitely need to do a step up for tomorrow," the current world championship leader has a message for his team.