Leclerc on mutual respect with Verstappen: 'We've grown over the years'

Charles Leclerc says his duels with Max Verstappen seem less aggressive this season than in the past, but attributes that to the fact that the two drivers have both matured and learned how to race each other.

Verstappen and Leclerc have already shown some exciting duels this year, but none of the battles have ended in tears so far. According to Leclerc, this is because both he and Verstappen have matured and the two are actually going through the same growth. The Monegasque therefore experiences more controlled fights than in the past, where the rivals also frequently clashed.

"The fight with Max, I love it," Leclerc said in conversation with Racer.com. "We’ve known each other for a very long time — it’s always racing on the limit. You can argue that this year is a little bit less aggressive than normal with the fights between us but we’ve grown throughout the years."

Verstappen and Leclerc have met in Formula 1 races on a number of occasions, but the drivers' history goes back much further. Already in their karting days, a rivalry developed between the two. "We know each others’ weaknesses so we know each other very well and that’s what makes it exciting. But there is a lot of respect," said the Ferrari driver. Recently, Verstappen made similar statements about his bond with Leclerc.