The prince and the pauper: How Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen swapped F1 fortunes

The 2022 Formula One season was called the dawn of a new era because of the significant technical regulations overhaul the sport underwent. The phrase also appeared to apply to F1’s oldest team — at least at first.

At the season opener in Bahrain, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen battled for much of the GP. The Dutchman attempted to undercut the Monégasque on lap 15, the gap between the two went from 3.5 seconds to 0.35 when Leclerc led a lap later, and the two had a three-lap showdown before Verstappen locked up and Leclerc pulled ahead.

Misfortune soon struck Verstappen, though, when he was forced to retire late in the race; his teammate Sergio Pérez DNFed shortly after. Ferrari, which hasn’t won a constructors’ championship since 2008, saw its drivers record a 1–2 finish, with Leclerc taking the victory.

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Verstappen bounced back to win the second round in Saudi Arabia. Still, Leclerc kept a stronghold on the championship, extending his lead in Australia with another win. The Red Bull driver challenged Leclerc throughout the race and seemed poised to take second — until he DNF’ed again.

Ferrari’s car looked strong and reliable, a true championship contender. The 2022 season was its to lose – and then things began unraveling.

Strategic mistakes, like the double stack fiasco in Monaco that cost Leclerc a possible podium finish. Reliability woes, like Carlos Sainz’s car going up in flames at the Austrian Grand Prix. And occasional driver mistakes, like Leclerc losing the rear of his car while leading the race in France. Red Bull capitalized on the Prancing Horse’s stumbles, surging to capture both championships as Verstappen ultimately won 15 of the 22 races.

A new season brought fresh hope for Ferrari, but 2023 has kept Red Bull on top while a familiar tune of misfortune played out over the first three races for Leclerc, who finished second last year: DNF, P7, DNF. At this point last season, Ferrari had 104 points to its name (including 71 for Leclerc), while Red Bull had 55 points.

Now, they’ve swapped storylines and fortunes. Verstappen holds a 15-point lead in the championship, while Red Bull is the only team with triple-digit points at 123. Ferrari is in fourth with 26 points, and Leclerc is tenth on the driver’s ladder with six.

A lifelong respect – and battle

Verstappen and Leclerc are two of F1’s most promising stars, and they’ve been battling each other since their karting days.

“I remember it was either me or him, and that’s why we hated each other at one point because very often it didn’t end in the best way possible,” Leclerc said last year, per Racefans. “Sometimes one will win, sometimes the other might. But it’s fun. I like it.”

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That early rivalry is encapsulated in one moment now known as the “incident” in 2012 when Leclerc took out Verstappen after the race. In an interview last year, Leclerc told Ziggo Sport he had done so but that there was more to it.

Leclerc explained that Verstappen was leading the race, so he was trying to determine how to get past his rival. Leclerc nudged him wide for an overtake, and on the “next corner, he destroyed me — completely. I went from second with five seconds lead to P7 or whatever.” He navigated his way back to second, but the battle wasn’t over even once the checkered flag waved.

“I go on his right, and I look at him and go like this,” Leclerc said, making a “what the heck did you do?” gesture. “He was watching me. We touched a little bit; he took the white line that was wet and went straight. And there was a huge puddle… And he ended up in this puddle.”

Leclerc and Verstappen were disqualified that day, and Verstappen clarified his opinion: “No, he’s just unfair. I’m leading. He wants to pass, and he pushes me, and I push him back, and after, he pushes me off the track. It’s not fair.”

Fast forward to the 2022 season, and their relationship starkly contrasts their karting days. They race each other as competitors do, but there’s a more profound understanding that comes with knowing one another for as long as they have.

A day of late braking and hand-shaking 🤝

The latest chapter of @Charles_Leclerc and @Max33Verstappen's on-track duels was an absolute thriller

📸 x @CanalplusF1 #BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/A7E7SbpddJ

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 20, 2022

In Formula One, fortunes are fickle

Long enough that both know how quickly fortunes can change in Formula One.

Reliability hampered Ferrari’s championship fight last season, and it came into 2023 with restored hope. Instead, it and Red Bull picked up where they left off last November — the Red Bull duo cruising and the Prancing Horse struggling. Leclerc lost power during the season opener in Bahrain, served a grid place penalty in Saudi Arabia, and DNFed in Australia.

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Meanwhile, it seems that Red Bull’s most significant challenge could be itself. Both drivers had encountered issues this season, like when Verstappen’s driveshaft “snapped” during Saudi Arabia qualifying. Yet, Verstappen went from 15th to a second-place finish. Verstappen and teammate Sergio Pérez are separated by just 15 points, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in a not-too-distant third place.

As for Ferrari versus Red Bull, there’s a 97-point gap between the two powerhouses and a whopping 63-point gap between Verstappen and Leclerc.

Can Ferrari catch up? Team principal Fred Vasseur said it would update the car in Miami, Imola, and Barcelona.

“We are sticking to the plan, but we’ve made some adjustments, I think, in terms of balance and behavior,” Vasseur said. “(The car) was much better in Melbourne, and we’ll continue in this direction.

While he considered Australia a “good” grand prix, Ferrari needs another race to see if its development is a true step forward. Red Bull’s dominance, though, seems almost certain.

Twenty races remain this year, and while Leclerc and Verstappen have swapped fortunes before, there are outstanding factors still up in the air, such as development and whether Red Bull will feel the impact of losing wind tunnel testing time as part of its penalty for violating the cost cap in 2021.

The Ferrari team boss does feel Red Bull “did a very good job on the car” but that the penalty was “too light.” Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports News the time reduction “will have an impact later into the year and on next year.”

The battle is ultimately bigger than Verstappen vs. Leclerc, as Ferrari tries to fight its way back to the top and Red Bull aims to hold onto its top dog marker. And while it looks a long shot right now, fortunes can always change.

(Photo illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: Gongora/NurPhoto, Qian Jun/MB Media / Getty Images)

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