Max Verstappen hits back with the win in Saudi Arabia, Charles Leclerc is second and remains the world championship leader, Mercedes is driving in no man’s land: RB Racing once morest Ferrari will be the decisive matchup this season.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc hardly knew what to do with their excess of adrenaline and euphoria. Pumped up by the insane thriller of the final round in Jeddah, the new World Cup duels of the formula 1 right away for the next duels.
“Every race should be like this,” said world championship leader Leclerc, although he finished second behind the world champion in Saudi Arabia. But the minimal gap of 0.5 seconds and the strength of his Ferrari showed the Monegasque and the rest of the world that this rivalry might mark the season.
Red Bull star Verstappen described the gripping exchange of blows with Leclerc as “cool and really tough”, in which they went to the limit with all tactical tricks. From a poison duel, as the Dutchman had just four months earlier in the same place Lewis Hamilton had delivered, neither of them wanted to know anything. “We have a lot of respect for each other, that’s important, that’s why we have these good fights,” said Verstappen.
Leclerc was promptly reminded of the karting times we had together when we were young. “We had great duels there too. We grew up together, which helped us to develop in our own way,” said the 24-year-old. Even at the start in Bahrain, the duo’s lap-long exchange of blows had electrified the fans before the world champion was stopped by a technical defect. Now Leclerc and Verstappen seem to be making a dramatic series of wheel-to-wheel scuffles. “After last year I wouldn’t have believed that there would be an increase – and we have that now,” Red Bull Motorsport Director Helmut Marko rejoiced on the TV station Sky. “Formula 1 has a new royal duel,” headlined the Swiss “Blick” full of anticipation.
Leclerc takes 20 points ahead of Verstappen into the third race of the season in Australia in two weeks. Teammate Carlos Sainz, second in the World Championship, still ranks between the two. “Of course I’m pretty happy with the start, but there’s definitely more to come,” said Leclerc. After two years, Ferrari has freed itself from the form hole and made perfect use of the rule reform with completely new cars.
But can the Scuderia keep up with the pace of Red Bull and Verstappen over the long haul? In 2017 and 2018, the Italians already had the most powerful car in Sebastian Vettel before the engineers race Mercedes gained the upper hand. “We have improved our tools since then and are much better prepared,” assured Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. “That will be the key, we have to give everything,” Leclerc warned.
The world championship leader also spoke from the soul of a man who, following eight years of intoxication, suddenly threatens to become a marginal figure. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton has been left behind with Mercedes for the time being. The hope for title number eight might burst early. “Winning feels very far away,” lamented the 37-year-old following his run to an unfortunate tenth place in Jeddah.
Mercedes currently have “deficits everywhere”, known team boss Toto Wolff. “But the season is still incredibly long,” added the Austrian combatively.
