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charles leclerc explains that the battle with verstappen is not yet open

Leclerc weighs in on championship battle: 'Way too early to say'

26 May at 08:00
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  • Ludo van Denderen

For the first few races of the F1 season, Max Verstappen seemed to have no problem. Although he did crash out in Melbourne, of the first five Grands Prix, the Dutchman won four. After that, things got a bit trickier. In Miami, Verstappen then had to acknowledge his superiority to Lando Norris, the McLaren driver who also pushed him to the limit in Imola last week. The sixth starting position in Monaco suggests that Verstappen faces another tough Sunday.

Charles Leclerc could at least do good business in Monte Carlo. The Ferrari driver is second in the championship, 48 points behind Verstappen, and a win might leave the title race wide open? "I haven't thought about it too much," Leclerc says, however, before explaining that his focus is entirely on winning his home race.

Leclerc sees Red Bull coming out on top again

Next, Leclerc states, "The championship is still long. I don't think one race is going to change everything for us. So, yeah, we've got to stay calm. And I think it's too early to think about that. I think Red Bull is still the strongest car on the grid. However, it's true that on a track like this, that is so specific, they didn't have the best car and they struggled a lot more. But that doesn't mean that it will be the case until the end of the season. So, yeah, too early to say."

At least for the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc has the best papers. On a circuit where it is almost impossible to overtake, the Monegasque will start from first place. Verstappen starts the race from sixth place, after briefly touching the wall on his last fast lap. After that, the Dutchman immediately broke off his attempt.

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy