Ever since his entry into Formula 1, Charles Leclerc has earned the reputation of an elite racer. That reputation landed him a Ferrari seat the very next year after his rookie season. However, ever since then, he hasn’t been able to live up to his potential and reputation. Max Verstappen, a driver from the same generation, has proven his mettle with aplomb. While Leclerc has time and again fallen prey to faulty strategy and tire change calls, a former 7-time F1 race winner believes Verstappen will once again triumph over the Monegasque, despite the Prancing Horse’s revived commitment.

Last year, Leclerc built a healthy lead of 46 points over Verstappen with 2 wins from the first 3 fixtures. Part of the reason for that success was the lousy start to Red Bull’s season, which was marred by reliability and car weight issues. However, once all issues were resolved, what followed through was one of the most dominant displays F1 has ever seen. While that was happening, Ferrari was going through a steady decline. However, they claim to have identified the issue and promise to iron it out. All that has, however, failed to impress Juan Pablo Montoya.

In a recent interview with Motorsport, he said, “I don’t think Charles is on the same level. I think Charles is a very good driver, but Max has more experience. Max has also won more races and has already won a few championships, so there is much less pressure on it. That makes it a lot easier for Max to become world champion than for Charles, who is still going for his first title.” [Translated using Google]

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Despite the continuous 4-year disappointing run, Leclerc remains hopeful of success with Ferrari. And if sources are to be believed, the Maranello-based outfit is looking to offer him another contract as well.

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Charles started his rookie season at Sauber, with Frederic Vasseur at the helm of the team. The duo shared great camaraderie, which they look to continue as Fred made a switch to Ferrari. The Monegasque is currently under a contract with the team that runs until the end of the 2024 season. Ferrari, however, has no intention of letting go of him.

Motorsport Italy recently reported, “The teams don’t want to take risks, they play in advance and in the long term, and for this reason the renewal of Leclerc is one of the items on the agenda in Maranello. Negotiations with a driver of Charles’ caliber always develop on two key points, the financial aspect and the technical guarantees, and this greatly restricts the potential alternatives that could tempt Charles should he decide to evaluate other scenarios.” [Translated using Google]

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Ferrari and Charles will have to work in sync if they are to halt Red Bull’s juggernaut in 2023. Otherwise, it will once again be a one-way traffic affair. Max is certainly in no mood to stop, nor is his team.