In 2023, Charles Leclerc has not been able to show his maximum potential. Ferrari is just not quick enough and as time goes by, their rivals have been improving. However, at the Belgian GP, Leclerc showed what he is capable of and will start on Pole for the race on Sunday. According to him, there is a big difference in his driving but there is no way he’s beating Red Bull.

Max Verstappen has been in a league of his own since 2022. He started as far back as P15 on one occasion this year (in Saudi Arabia) and still got to P2. Sergio Perez was the driver who won that race but now, even Perez’s performance is not up to the mark to defeat the Dutchman. So, even though Leclerc feels that there is a big change in his driving, he feels less confident about the possibility of him winning the race.

Leclerc said, as quoted by Formulapassion, “In my riding, I changed some very small details, but in the end, they made a big difference. This also affects the set-up, which can give me more confidence from one corner to the next. For Sunday, however, I don’t have much confidence, with the two Red Bulls behind us who are much faster. However, if for some reason there is an opportunity, we will exploit it.”

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The Monegasque’s predictions might even be already coming true. Because the Dutchman sounds too confident despite the P6 start.

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Last year at the Belgian GP, Max Verstappen started in P14 and still won the race by a margin of 17 seconds. This year the job is cut out for him as he’s driving a better car and starts P6. And the only reason he starts P6 is because RB has exceeded the number of gearboxes allowed to be fitted in an F1 season.

After the Qualifying session on Friday, the 2-time champion was as nonchalant as one can be. He said, as quoted by ESPN, “I mean, last year we started 14th, and this year I think the car is better. So I’m still targeting to win the race for sure.”

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Leclerc might be starting on Pole but the fact that Verstappen out-qualified him by 8 tenths of a second is keeping his confidence in check. The only way the Ferrari driver can win is if some rain disrupts the race or the Dutchman DNFs.