Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc: New rivalry dawns as Formula 1’s racing aspirations are realised in 2022

A clip resurfaced over the weekend of a young Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc being interviewed after a karting race. Verstappen is livid, accusing his rival of driving him off the track, while Leclerc brushes it off as little more than a racing incident.

Fast forward to Jeddah yesterday: the latest duel of two careers that have been intertwined virtually from the outset ended without incident as Verstappen got the jump on Leclerc late on to take the chequered flag.

Shortly after getting out of their cars, there was no ill-feeling, as the pair were seen talking animatedly about what looked like the finer points of their repeated overtaking manoeuvres.

On the evidence of just 107 laps of racing so far this season — first in Bahrain, then Saudi Arabia — it is the rivalry that looks set to define 2022.

It highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of their two cars: the Ferrari far stronger in the first sector but undone by its relative lack of pace on the straights compared to the Red Bulls, which was only exacerbated by DRS.

It was hard racing and smart, too; both drivers showing enough maturity and gifting enough space to avoid contact; Verstappen biding his time after an early overtaking error to finally force a way past, from which Leclerc could not quite get back.

Asked to liken it to other duels — such as the season-long one last year with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen said: “Every battle is different, but it’s just smart racing and good racing, so you just have to deal with it, adjust to it. It was not easy, but a lot of fun.”

Quite how Verstappen and Hamilton might have fared in a similar situation is anyone’s guess. The Briton finished 10th and is currently a long way away from getting into conversation about