Leclerc: 'Racing with Verstappen this year even less aggressive than usual'

Verstappen and Leclerc regularly met in karting and had heated duels. It resulted in numerous incidents and a lot of frustrations on both sides. Meanwhile, both drivers have become a lot more mature and have a lot of respect for each other. The two men have indicated several times this season that they enjoy the battles on the track.

"It has always been racing on the limit, but this year it is a bit less aggressive than usual," Leclerc said in an interview with Motorsport-Magazin.com. Of course, tensions between them could rise as the season draws to a close and the stakes get higher.

Leclerc won't say anything about 2021 fight

Leclerc is well aware of what happened between Verstappen and Hamilton last year. The Dutch Red Bull Racing driver has repeatedly said he hopes the same scenario will not happen. Leclerc himself avoids any comparison: "I don't want to say anything about the battle between Max and Lewis. I was not part of that battle, because last year I was competing for less interesting positions, unfortunately."

The chances of things getting as out of hand in 2022 (with all sorts of verbal allegations through the media) as they did last year are not thought to be that great. According to Verstappen, last season's mud-slinging had more to do with the rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes than a personal vendetta against Lewis Hamilton.