Charles Leclerc believes winning in F1 means knowing how to "play with the rules"

01/03/2025 07:12 AM

Charles Leclerc, like Max Verstappen: to win in F1, you need to adapt. The Monegasque doesn’t hide his disappointment about not being a direct rival to the Red Bull driver in 2024, but he promises to fight back. The Dutchman knows how to “play with the rules” when the season approaches its end, and the Ferrari driver is convinced he can do the same.

The recently concluded season had some similarities to 2021, the year of Max Verstappen‘s first world championship. Back then, Lewis Hamilton was much closer than Lando Norris has been, undoubtedly. On-track battles on the edge of the rules – and often beyond – were the norm, especially towards the end of the season.

The Dutchman has never shied away from intense physical clashes on track. Aggression and competitive ferocity are his defining traits, evident in both 2021 and 2024. Such a fierce rivalry becomes a mental challenge, one not all his competitors on the grid might withstand. Among them, however, Charles Leclerc stands out: the Monegasque has complete confidence in his abilities.

Charles Leclerc on Max Verstappen: “He takes risks, and I will too”
In an interview with RacingNews365, Charles Leclerc spoke about the Dutch rival: “You have to pick your battles, and I feel that Max [Verstappen] knows how to adapt to different situations. There have been moments when he wasn’t aggressive, but when the end of the season came, and Lando was catching up, you could see he was playing with the rules a lot more, and I feel I have that ability too.”

“I know that when something important is at stake, when it’s time to take risks with the right people, I will do it. But that’s also why I’ve always enjoyed racing with Max: the driver’s mindset is crucial. We’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s always more thrilling when we fight together.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.

“Unfortunately [not in 2024], because at the start of the season, he had a dominant car, and we weren’t in the fight with him. He had no reason to be aggressive with us. When we became competitive, Lando was in the mix, and he never saw us as direct title rivals, so [in 2024], those battles didn’t happen.” – the Ferrari man concluded.

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