Leclerc reveals stunning Verstappen admission: 'I thought he was a bad person'

Leclerc and Verstappen first raced against each other in karting before meeting again in Formula 1. While the pair continue to battle fiercely on track, the Monegasque insists that whatever happens during a race stays on the circuit now.

Speaking to the Italian branch of Sky Sports, he explained that he did not always think like that. He explained: "When you’re on the track, it’s all business. We’ve both matured over the years, and life has changed dramatically since we first started out."

He continued: "Back then, I truly believed he was a bad person, and he felt the same way about me. Growing up taught us that people are different off track, which has completely transformed our relationship."

The Dutchman topped the timesheets in the opening free practice session at Spa-Francorchamps, with Leclerc finishing third. In FP2, Verstappen once again featured near the front in third place in P3, while the Monegasque driver could manage only 11th, finishing more than 1.5 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli.

After the second free practice session, Verstappen said: "I mean, it's been alright for me, I didn't really have big problems. The car has been quite in a good window. Probably in FP2 you see a little bit more of the real gap still, but that's nothing shocking or unexpected.

The weekend continues with FP3 and Qualifying this Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps.