A easy life for Verstappen? Leclerc: 'That wouldn't be fair'

Charles Leclerc had hoped for a title fight with Max Verstappen. It turned out to be a battle with his own Ferrari. Where Verstappen cruised towards his third world title, the Monegasque had to make do with a handful of poles - and no victory.

Of course, it was all not as easy as it seemed, Leclerc states in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport. According to the Ferrari driver, Verstappen did have to work hard throughout the season to perform so strongly. So an easy life for Verstappen? "That would be unfair [to say]. Of course, he is in a comfortable situation at the moment, but he has had to do a lot of work to get there."

The only thing Leclerc and his team can do - he argues, not for the first time - is to try harder themselves. In any case, Leclerc has had plenty of opportunities behind Verstappen's Red Bull to see what makes that car so strong. "I spoke to Lewis [Hamilton] in Mexico, where he told me he could see exactly where Max's car was better. Maybe that's true for him, but I have to tell you I can't possibly see the details. We are talking about differences in millimetres in terms of soil or suspension."

"You can obviously see if a car has a softer or harder suspension and where it gains time on you. I prefer to look at the images from the on-board cameras. You can seefrom the driver's helmet what the car does and doesn't do on the track," Leclerc said.