Charles Leclerc given reality check despite being told Verstappen hasn’t got better skills

F1: Leclerc says Ferrari career has 'exceeded expectations'

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Charles Leclerc has been warned that huge deficits at the top of the Formula 1 Driver’s Championship have been overcome before. The Ferrari driver is the only member of the Formula 1 field to have attained a podium finish in all three events this season and has built a healthy lead as a result. He stormed to a conclusive, 20-second win in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, where team-mate Carlos Sainz and titleholder Max Verstappen were each forced to retire.

Having already opened his season with victory in Bahrain before finishing second in Saudi Arabia, he now sits on 71 points, way ahead of the nearest contender, Mercedes’ George Russell (37). It bodes well that, not only do Ferrari look the part, but their rivals are failing to fire as hoped, with Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen currently fifth and sixth in the drivers’ standings, respectively.

Former Red Bull and Jaguar driver Christian Klien has pointed a reality check at the leader, however, after warning such wide deficits have been overcome in the past. Just last year, Verstappen at one point built a 33-point lead over Hamilton in mid-season, only for the pair to head into the final race of the campaign level-pegging.

”I think Leclerc is on the same level as Verstappen in terms of racing skills,” Klien said during a recent appearance on ServusTV’s Sport und Talk. “The races in Bahrain and Jeddah have shown that.

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“You can also see that Charles is mature enough to take a shot at the world title. He can now take confidence from the position in the championship, although there have also been years in which such a large gap was closed.”

Klien’s words holds even more weight considering there is still so much of 2022’s calendar to be decided. Twenty races remain on the schedule, starting with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on April 24.

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The Austrian praised Leclerc for his earlier work in F1, albeit having already matched his existing tally of career wins in just three outings this year. Ferrari’s build has given him the means to showcase those talents more prominently, however, as Klien said: “He, like Verstappen, has those character traits.”

One characteristic he’s yet to prove at the very top is consistency, which will be the key to keeping his competitors at bay. Ferrari’s year could hardly have gotten off to a better start, but their feats so far may feel hollow unless they lead to Leclerc’s maiden world championship.

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