Leclerc will win the title before Verstappen - Massa
Leclerc will win the title before Verstappen - Massa
Felipe Massa believes Charles Leclerc will be crowned world drivers' champion before Max Verstappen, despite the Red Bull driver's greater experience.
Verstappen is approaching the end of his fifth season in Formula 1 and reached the milestone of 100 grands prix in Austin recently.
However, the Dutchman is yet to feature in a title fight, with Red Bull's struggles to keep pace in the V6 Hybrid era putting him at a disadvantage, despite his evident talents.
Red Bull's title ambitions never really took off in 2019 as they got to grips with a switch to Honda power and Verstappen is fourth in the drivers' standings, with Leclerc in third.
In his debut season for Ferrari, Leclerc has taken seven pole positions, at least two more than any other driver. By comparison, Verstappen's pole in Hungary this year was the first of his career.
And former Ferrari favourite Massa believes Leclerc's immediate transition to life at the Scuderia will put him into the title picture sooner rather than later.
"He's a very talented guy, but the thing that strikes me most is his head, and his ability to handle pressure," Massa told Motorsport.com.
"I do not know whether he is faster or slower than Verstappen, but the seven pole positions in his first year of Ferrari say a lot.
"He made some mistakes, but I think we all have to consider his still limited experience in F1 and it was his first year in a top team.
"He is a future world champion, and I think we will not have to wait long. I do not exclude that he can achieve that goal even before Verstappen."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- 36 minutes ago
F1 pundit reveals the thing about Wolff that ANNOYS Horner
- 1 hour ago
Newey exit DATE revealed as Red Bull F1 chief set to leave
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 legend reveals flood of death threats
- Today 06:27
Audi agree STAR driver contract as Mercedes driver tipped for new F1 seat THIS season - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
- Yesterday 22:57
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860