Flavio Briatore explains Max Verstappen edge over Charles Leclerc

Former Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore has said that he’d buy Max Verstappen over Charles Leclerc if he still ran a team.

The Italian was in charge of the likes of Bennetton and Renault during his time in the sport, with him overseeing championship wins with Michael Schumacher at the former and Fernando Alonso at the latter.

Certainly, he knows a world-class driver when he sees one and he is of the opinion that Verstappen is currently the best one on the grid right now, though Leclerc is not far behind.

Speaking to Rai Radio in Italy, Briatore was asked who he would pick out of the pair to drive for his team if he still had one, and he said it would be the Dutchman to get the nod:

“I would buy Verstappen. He is the best driver in Formula 1 and we saw that already last year.

“He has more experience this year. He fought for the World title and already won. But if I had the money, I would have bought both.”

Briatore also went on to praise the current state of the sport, and the battle that is shaping up between Max and Charles:

“This Formula 1 is totally different and I think it’s good for everybody.

“America is reinventing F1, for example the Miami race was sold out in three months.

“Last year we finished the World Championship with an incredible race, and this year we started with the Ferrari double and then with Saudi Arabia, one of the most beautiful races of the last period.

“It was a nice duel with two very good and very right drivers on the border, but they did it without controversy. It’s very good for F1 as a whole and for the audience.

“For me it was a great fight.”