Leclerc questions Verstappen’s Ferrari championship claim

Charles Leclerc says Max Verstappen’s claim that he would have won the 2024 Formula One world championship “even earlier” if he had driven a McLaren or Ferrari is “a stretch”.

The Red Bull driver made the remark in the hours after securing this year’s title in Las Vegas last weekend, with Red Bull struggling with its RB20 car after its dominant start.

McLaren has provided the most consistent opposition to Red Bull since it massively upgraded its MCL38 car back in May for the Miami race and has dominated several events in the same way that Red Bull opened the year.

When asked if he would also have won his fourth title in a row in 2024 if he had driven for McLaren, Verstappen replied: “Yes, even earlier, so (I would have been) further ahead. (With Ferrari), pretty much the same I think.

Verstappen’s comments were made to Leclerc as he met the media at the press conference ahead of this weekend’s Qatar GP – F1 after leaving Vegas and traveling the world for the final two races of the 2024 season in the Middle East.

Leclerc is currently 21 points behind Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings behind Verstappen, but both their teams currently lead Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari 24 points adrift of McLaren with two full GPs and the Qatar sprint remaining.

Leclerc said Verstappen “is a very special driver” and “I think what makes him special is also the confidence he has”, regarding his post-title comments.

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“But I think it’s very difficult to say something like that without knowing what the car is like,” he added.

“He’s an incredible driver, no doubt. Whether he would have made it or not (in the 2024 Ferrari), I don’t know what Red Bull is like, what McLaren is like, and he doesn’t know what Ferrari is like.

“So it might be a bit of a stretch to say something like that.”