Charles Leclerc Explains Why Copying Max Verstappen Would Be a ‘Mistake’

Scuderia Ferrari Formula One driver Charles Leclerc explained that it would be a “mistake” to follow the footsteps of four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, because he is not aware of the team dynamics within Red Bull Racing that contributed to Verstappen’s success.

Leclerc has established himself as a strong contender, even outperforming seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton multiple times last year. With the new cars this season, Ferrari has gotten off to a positive start, competing with the dominant Mercedes cars.

While Leclerc is yet to win his first F1 Drivers’ Championship, he suggested not following Verstappen’s path but instead focusing on himself and his team. Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he said:

“Well, Max has obviously had an incredible career so far and has won four world championships, I didn’t yet but I think every situation is different. I think it will be a mistake for me to kind of follow the footsteps of what Max has done and also because I have no idea what Max is doing inside the team in order to get this success. So, it will be purely trying and imagining what it takes and rather than doing that I think I prefer to focus in my own situation in the team trying to focus on the process.”

May 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (left), Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli (center) and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (16) pose for a photo after finishing the qualifying session for the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Given Ferrari’s strong position this season, Leclerc knows where the team stands currently, and what it is capable of. Speaking about his optimism for the rest of the season, he said:

“I think we have a very clear view on where we are as a team and what can we do in order to improve, what are our weaknesses against Mercedes particularly that are the favourites at the moment and where we need to work on. And we’ve been working very well over the past few months to prepare for new cars, I think we have had a strong first part of the year but I also know what’s the plan of the next few months and what’s coming and that makes me optimistic. But clearly I’m focusing on what’s inside the team, what I know, what I can control and hopefully I can have a bit of the success that Max has had in the recent years.”

Speaking further, Leclerc opened up about how Ferrari’s “aggressive” approach with the car’s development has yielded positive results. Ferrari avoided settling into its own comfort zone after witnessing early success and instead introduced frequent upgrades to ensure both drivers could continue fighting at the front. He said:

“I think it’s very impressive, I think it’s very impressive we’ve had a very aggressive approach this year compared to others I believe. First in terms of innovation and I think this is a very positive sign to show that we are innovating and getting out of our way to try and find solutions around the regulations.

“Second, the very aggressive plan of bringing upgrades, I think production has done an incredible job for the first half of the season to work flat out in order for us to receive the parts as early as possible and it’s making a lot of difference on a year like this where we are so early in the development and every upgrade you bring makes such a big difference so we’ll continue pushing like that for that second part of the season.”