Is Verstappen v Leclerc F1’s new big rivalry?
Formula 1’s newest rivalry may be brewing courtesy of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen after their latest wheel-to-wheel fight for victory in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
After losing out in Bahrain one week earlier, Verstappen managed to make in 1-1 by beating Leclerc to victory in Jeddah courtesy of an overtaking with four laps remaining.
It was a move many laps in the planning for Verstappen, who had seen his initial move at the final corner backfire as it gave Leclerc DRS for the main straight, allowing the Ferrari driver to get back ahead on the long run to Turn 1.
The two drivers played cat and mouse for a few laps before Verstappen finally got the move done, taking advantage of Leclerc’s rear tyre struggles to grab the lead and eventually hold on by half a second at the chequered flag.
In the latest edition of our Paddock Packdown series, we take a look at the DRS tactics Verstappen and Leclerc employed in their fight for victory, and whether it proved DRS can actually be a good thing for F1.
Share Or Save This Story
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Marc Marquez: Indonesian GP results a “dream” at my “worst circuit”
Fermin Aldeguer set for surgery after fracturing hand at Mandalika
'I don't know how I did that,' says Raul Fernandez after ride to Indonesian GP podium with broken finger
Pedro Acosta: MotoGP tyre pressure rules make us look like “donkeys”
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Singapore GP sprint and qualifying
How Honda plans a return to being an F1 powerhouse
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
No denying it now – the one reason why F1’s ‘horrible’ start in Malaysia could be a good thing
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments