Ferrari F1 engineer claims team's star driver can match Max Verstappen and deliver title glory

Max Verstappen at Suzuka — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Ferrari F1 engineer claims team's star driver can match Verstappen and deliver title glory

Ferrari's hope doesn't necessarily rest with Lewis Hamilton

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 27 April 2026 11:57

A former Ferrari F1 race engineer has revealed the current driver on the grid that can match Max Verstappen and deliver title glory.

Despite racing in the inferior RB22 in 2026, Verstappen remains most people's choice of the best driver on the current F1 grid, given not only his ability to win in the sport but also in other racing categories.

Red Bull's dominance in the ground effect era saw few other drivers get a look in for the title, with Verstappen winning four back-to-back world titles from 2021 to 2024.

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However, according to former Ferrari engineer Jock Clear there's one driver who came close to matching Verstappen and offered advice for them to reach championship glory.

Leclerc the future world champion

Charles Leclerc has raced with Ferrari since 2019, but has spent most of his F1 career without a championship challenging car.

Nevertheless, Clear named Leclerc as a match for Verstappen, and stated he needs to emulate Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and steer the team to title glory.

Speaking on Peter Windsor's YouTube channel, he explained: "He's a very natural driver. He has a really good feel for a car. I've said this before, he's the only guy I think who can match Max at the moment in terms of racecraft.

"When you see, and we haven't often seen, Charles and Max go at it in equal cars in that situation I think it would be a very tough choice which way that would go. But we've seen it occasionally where Charles has been in the slightly inferior car to Max but he's kept Max very honest.

"It's difficult to say anybody's better than Max, but I think certainly Charles is as good as Max on his racecraft. Where does he need to improve? I think, and it may be a bit unfair because the Ferrari environment is such a big animal, but to be the leader in that team and to really take the team to winning a championship, that's what I think he needs to keep working at.

"And it's not a criticism because it is very difficult thing to do. Not many people have done it, but you look at when Michael did it, it took him five years. Michael went to Ferrari in '95 and he didn't win until 2000. I think Charles is still on that journey. I think Charles is doing a better and better job.

"I think he should be and he will be the driver to take Ferrari to the next level and the next level needs to be a championship."

F1 Max Verstappen Ferrari Charles Leclerc