Charles Leclerc could rival Max Verstappen as Lewis Hamilton 'heir'

Former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger says that Charles Leclerc could well rival Max Verstappen as the ‘heir’ to Lewis Hamilton as the next multi-world champion in the sport.

All three men will feel they have title challenges to put up in the coming years, with Hamilton still chasing a record-breaking 8th world crown.

However, he is getting towards the end of his career and 2022 has shown where the future of the sport might lie in terms of its next big rivalry, with Leclerc and Verstappen already locking horns on several occasions this season.

At the moment, it is advantage Leclerc in the standings over Verstappen, too, and Berger has said that he feels the Ferrari driver could battle the Red Bull man for several world titles, as well as succeeding Lewis Hamilton as one of the next iconic drivers in F1, with the Austrian also referencing how Hamilton reminds him of Senna:

“Hamilton is very similar to Ayrton in the way he runs races, but also in the way he works politically and the way he directs the team,” the Austrian said as reported by Formula Passion.

“Senna had a charismatic personality that won the hearts of almost everyone. Ayrton and Lewis are similar and special. Their heir may be Verstappen, but Leclerc can win many World Championships.”

Leclerc would certainly like that for his career but he knows that Verstappen will be a stern obstacle in his way, even if this season has not started how the Red Bull man would have liked.

As well as that, the likes of George Russell, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz will all be thinking they can win the world championship in the future if the time and the car is right, and so it’s safe to say F1 is in a very good place for the future.