Leclerc outlines how F1 could be ‘more exciting’ amid Verstappen, Red Bull dominance

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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has bitten back at claims that Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominating Formula 1 has made it ‘boring’ but has one idea to make it ‘more exciting’.

Red Bull remain on course to secure a clean sweep of Grand Prix wins in 2023 as Verstappen also closes in on his third-straight driver’s title. The 25-year-old has won 12 of the 14 rounds so far this year. While his teammate Sergio Perez is the only other driver with a race win yet.

George Russell was the last non-Red Bull driver to take the chequered flag first at last year’s Sao Paulo GP. The Mercedes ace claimed his maiden F1 Grand Prix victory in Brazil in a one-two for the Brackley-based squad. Lewis Hamilton last won a Grand Prix in December 2021.

Red Bull brushed Ferrari aside to dominate Formula 1 with Verstappen

Russell’s win in Sao Paulo disturbed Red Bull’s utter dominance of Formula 1 since the sport re-introduced ground effect cars. The 25-year-old’s win interrupted Red Bull’s streak of nine consecutive Grand Prix victories. Verstappen won eight of those, plus the final race of 2022.

Ferrari must go all the way back to the 2022 Austrian GP on July 10 for their last F1 win with Leclerc. While Scuderia stablemate Carlos Sainz took his sole win of 2022 at the British GP on July 3. Leclerc had started the season with wins at the Bahrain and Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Ferrari appeared set to battle for the 2022 championships after the Scuderia’s strong start to the season. Yet the Milton Keynes-based outfit ended up taking the driver’s and constructor’s titles with ease. And no team has looked likely of rivalling them this year.

Leclerc now bites back at claims that Verstappen is making F1 ‘boring’

Such has been the comfortable margin that Red Bull holds over the rest of the F1 grid that Verstappen set a new record at the Italian GP last Sunday. The Dutchman secured his 10th consecutive Grand Prix victory to move clear of Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine from 2013.

Even if Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin have all challenged Red Bull at some stage of the season in qualifying, Verstappen has had an answer for their rivals in the race. But Leclerc has now bitten back at claims that his dominance has made Formula 1 ‘boring’.

The Monegasque is adamant that Red Bull and Verstappen ‘deserve’ their success in F1 this year given their ‘incredible job’. Although Leclerc has also suggested one way for Formula 1 to make the sport ‘more exciting’. The 25-year-old’s best race so far in 2023 is P2 in Austria.

Leclerc said, via quotes by RacingNews365: “There’s always been some kind of dominance in the sport. Today, Max and Red Bull are doing an incredible job, so they deserve it – whether it’s boring or not.

“Honestly, if every race we’ve got a different winner and we win by a margin of one second, I’m sure races will be more exciting. But this is F1 [in 2023] and they deserve it in the end.”