Why Charles Leclerc believes he is a "crazy horse"

Charles Leclerc

Why Leclerc believes he is a "crazy horse"

Leclerc sits sixth in the drivers' standings

Ewan Gale

Wednesday 14 July 2021 15:59

Charles Leclerc doesn't believe he shares similarities in approach with Lewis Hamilton and has described himself as a "crazy horse".

Despite the advantage held by Mercedes and Red Bull across the first nine rounds this season, Leclerc has managed to take two pole positions at Monaco and Baku.

The Ferrari driver impressed during his debut season with the Scuderia, taking his first two victories of his career in 2019 but has been prevented from challenging at the top due to the team's deficiencies since then.

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Asked on the Beyond the Grid podcast if opinions of him from other drivers changed after his first victory, Leclerc replied: "Not really because I think in F1, we have got massive respect for every driver.

"This is what is nice. Every time there is a young driver coming into F1, he has got the respect of every other driver and this has always been the case.

On if he sees similarities in approach between himself and Hamilton, he added: "I don't know. Lewis is incredibly consistent.

"I am a bit more of a crazy horse sometimes, going for the special overtake and he is probably a bit calmer just waiting for it so I would say we probably have a bit of a different approach."

Leclerc "cannot wait" for Verstappen title battle

Leclerc and championship leader Max Verstappen faced off with each other as rivals on the karting circuit before both drivers eventually met again in F1.

With Ferrari on an upturn in form after a dreadful 2020 season, Leclerc is hoping to rekindle the fire with a championship battle against the Dutchman.

Asked how different the rivalry between the two is compared to what it was in karting, he insisted: "It is the same.

"At the moment, it is probably a bit diminished because I cannot fight against him, unfortunately, but if you look at the fight in Silverstone in 2019, I think you can understand there is a bit of competition and it has always been the case.

"It is nice, we have grown up together in karting, we have always been fighting together and now we find ourselves in F1 so it is great and I cannot wait to bring the team back to where it deserves to be and fight against Max for the title."