Charles Leclerc has mocked Max Verstappen’s claims he could have won the 2024 F1 world championship with a Ferrari or McLaren.
Red Bull driver Verstappen won his fourth title in Las Vegas, but after winning seven of the first ten races, he has won just one in the last 12.
Verstappen claimed he could have won the title with the McLaren “even earlier”and with the Ferrari, “about the same, I think”while believing that with the Mercedes it would be too big a step to take.
When this claim was put to the Ferrari driver today in Qatar, the Monegasque felt that Verstappen’s statement was an exaggeration of reality.
“Max is a very special driver, and what makes him so special is also the confidence he has. I think though it’s very difficult to say something like that without actually knowing what the car is like .”
“He’s an incredible driver, no doubt, but I don’t know if he would have made it or not. I don’t know what Red Bull is like, what McLaren is like, and he doesn’t know what Ferrari is like. , so maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say something like that.”
Leclerc also said he cleared things up with Carlos Sainz ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix after frustration with his team and teammate during last Sunday’s race in Las Vegas.
“I don’t want to go back to what happened in Las Vegas. We’re going into the last two races of the season and we have to do absolutely everything to get this constructors’ championship. That’s all that matters and whatever It happened in Vegas, we discussed it.”
“I have a very good relationship with Carlos and we have sometimes had races where things didn’t go exactly the way we wanted, but the most important thing is that we discuss it and move forward.
“It is very clear to both of us that we just want to win the constructors’ championship and it is by working as a team that we will achieve this, I am sure there will be no problems with that.
Asked if they had clarified the situation, Leclerc confirmed: “Exactly”.
