Max Verstappen recently claimed that Lewis Hamilton is “not a God” in that he was not unbeatable in Formula 1, with Charles Leclerc now getting involved in the conversation by backing up the words of the Red Bull driver.
Never one to mince his words, Verstappen made the statement about Hamilton which led to the latter responding by saying that the Dutchman was showing “weakness” by sharing his comments.
Leclerc, when asked about the small spat, took Verstappen’s side.
“Max is right – nobody is unbeatable. Not even Lewis, who is obviously a great champion,” he told Il Resto del Carlino.
The Monegasque driver was then asked if he was jealous about any aspect of Hamilton’s talents.
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“He is certainly much more experienced than me,” he replied.
“He has been in Formula 1 since 2007, while I’ve only been here since 2018. Hamilton is more complete than I am.
“I must learn to manage the tyres better in a race. Lewis is phenomenal at that.”
Turning his attention to Sebastian Vettel, Leclerc says he would be in favour of Ferrari renewing the contract of his veteran team-mate, with it set to expire in 2020, but admits he would ultimately respect the decision made by the team.
“I feel very good with Seb,” he said.
“I believe that we have found the right balance in our relationship. After that, it’s up to me to be a driver.
“These are decisions that belong to Ferrari and I will respect them. I would add that, at my age, I can still learn a lot from different teammates,”
Leclerc had his debut season with Ferrari in 2019, and won two races in Belgium and Monza.
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