Charles Leclerc discusses what Max Verstappen would do ‘without Red Bull’

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has responded to claims that Max Verstappen ‘makes the difference’ in his Red Bull car.

Verstappen drove what was statistically the most dominant car in F1 history last season, winning 21 out of 22 races.

And Leclerc has been speaking about the ‘winning combination’ in an interview with Italian publication Corriere.it.

Verstappen beat teammate Sergio Perez in last year’s drivers’ championship by a margin of 290 points, the largest the sport has ever seen.

He single-handedly took 19 of Red Bull’s 21 victories, including a record-breaking run of 10 in a row between the Miami and Italian Grands Prix.

Perez only won two races, and both of those came within the first four rounds of the season.

Verstappen also finished on the podium at all but one event (the Singapore Grand Prix), while the Mexican only came home in the top three on nine occasions.

The 26-year-old made a similarly authoritative start to the new campaign when he led home Perez by 22 seconds in Bahrain last weekend.

Charles Leclerc says Max Verstappen and Red Bull need each other

Leclerc was asked whether Verstappen’s talent is the deciding factor, rather than his machinery, and explained that both he and Red Bull are reliant on one another.

He admits that Ferrari have work to do to close the gap and prevent Verstappen extending his run of three straight world championships.

“To become world champion you need the best combination of vehicle and driver,” he said.

“Max without Red Bull, I don’t know what he would do and neither would Red Bull without Max. Today it’s a winning combination, but it’s up to us to go and get them back.”

Leclerc about to go up against Lewis Hamilton

Leclerc, who has won five Grands Prix so far, will have the opportunity to test himself against another of F1’s greats next year when Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari.

It’s already been confirmed that the Briton, who has won more races (103) and taken more poles (104) than anybody else, will replace Carlos Sainz next year.

Hamilton will be gunning for a record eighth title with the Prancing Horse, but Leclerc is still searching for his first F1 crown.

The 39-year-old may be the marginal favourite to edge the intra-team battle at Maranello given his track record.

But double F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has warned Hamilton that he won’t find it ‘straighforward’ to beat a driver who’s so deeply embedded within the team.

Both drivers will regard Verstappen as the man to beat, with Red Bull expected to remain the benchmark until the sport’s next major regulation shake-up in 2026.