Charles Leclerc not giving up on challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title this season- "I still believe in that"

Charles Leclerc believes he can still battle Max Verstappen for the 2024 F1 World Championship title despite Ferrari's recent performance issues. Ferrari were second-fastest early in the season, but have struggled to compete at the front of the grid in recent races.

Leclerc became one of the race winners of the 2024 season after winning his home Monaco GP earlier. This boosted Ferrari's hopes of competing against Red Bull. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, also won the Australian GP.

However, Ferrari's performances seem to have gone downhill since then. Leclerc has struggled in the last two races and was P5 in Spain before that. Despite this very apparent loss in performance, he still harbors hopes of competing for his first Drivers' Championship title this season. He said:

"It's important for me to keep that optimism and motivation very high," Leclerc told BBC Sport.

"At the end, we are speaking about 0.2secs. Which, whenever we put everything together, it's not that crazy. We've got to focus on every single detail and the season is still long and so I still believe in that."

Leclerc was in second place in the Drivers' standings not long ago. However, McLaren have come up with brilliant upgrades recently, giving Lando Norris the oppportunity to pip him. Currently, the Monegasque sits in third place, 21 points behind Norris.

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"He's only got strengths"- Charles Leclerc on racing with Lewis Hamilton in 2025

Lewis Hamilton is set to join Ferrari next season. He will be partnering with Charles Leclerc as Carlos Sainz will make way. This move was termed sensational prior to the start of the season.

As the current season progresses, Charles Leclerc is seemingly looking for a way to win his first Drivers' title. It is apparent that Hamilton will have his sights set on a record-breaking eighth World Championship title, but that will largely be dependent on the performance of the Ferrari against their rivals.

When BBC Sport asked Charles Leclerc about racing with Hamilton, he mentioned that he would have to convince himself to be the fastest driver on the grid. However, he also stated that Lewis Hamilton is incredible because he does not have any weaknesses.

"I need to be convinced that I am the fastest driver when I put the helmet on, but I am really looking forward to it, and it will be super-interesting for me," Leclerc said. "I have always said you learn from every single team-mate you have over your career. When I look at the way he drives - because we always look at each other and data - you don't really see any weaknesses. And that's where Lewis is incredible. He's only got strengths."

As of now, Ferrari and Mercedes are the only teams on the F1 grid to have both their drivers win races this season. Mercedes have shown major signs of improvement in recent weeks, and Hamilton claimed his 104th race win at Silverstone earlier this month.