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Max Verstappen has raised questions about Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc's pace under a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) during the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
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Speaking to the media after picking up his first win of the calendar year, the Dutchman admitted he was surprised by Leclerc's pace during the VSC period when Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso suffered power failures. He said:
“To be honest, I was a little bit surprised myself that it did look a little bit closer, but I don’t know how close Charles [Leclerc] was, of course to zero, you know, with the delta. That’s always a bit of a question mark. But also, sometimes it depends a bit where the restart is: if it’s in a corner for somebody in front or not. I think I was still on a bit more of the straight side and had a bit of a better run into turn four as well. So, it’s a bit tricky.”
Max Verstappen spent a sizeable amount of his race in Jeddah, speaking to engineer Gianpiero Lambiase about Leclerc and his car. First, it was the Ferrari's rear light not flashing. Then it was whether the Monegasque was crossing the white pit-entry line on the start-finish straight. Leclerc was a constant topic for the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen played a game of DRS cat and mouse with Charles Leclerc, claims Christian Horner
Max Verstappen had to deploy a few smart tricks to get the better of Charles Leclerc at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and claim P1 for Red Bull. Team principal Christian Horner admitted that the 24-year-old was playing a game of cat and mouse with the Ferrari driver during the race.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Verstappen elaborated on his duel with Leclerc, saying:
“You always try to of course have a good run with the DRS into the final zone, where then you have a lot of fast corners where you cannot pass so, of course, you know Charles played is very smart there, but also, it seemed like their defence/attack mode is very powerful. So, for me also, even more top speed. It was very hard to nail the overtake, but eventually, it worked.”
Red Bull will have a week to recuperate before F1 makes its way Down Under for the 2022 F1 Australian GP next.
