F1 News
Praise is heaped on Leclerc: 'He'd have won Monaco GP in the Red Bull'
- Estéban den Toom
Charles Leclerc put his SF-24 in pole position on Saturday in Monaco, and on race Sunday he managed to finish it off. Christijan Albers praised the Ferrari driver and thought he was without doubt the best driver of the past weekend. Leclerc closes the gap to Max Verstappen to 31 points in the world championship.
"Fair is fair, he is so fast here," Albers opened in De Telegraaf-Formula1 podcast. "He was just on top of it all weekend. I also really firmly believe that if he had been in a different car, say in a McLaren or in a Red Bull, he could have won as well," the former Minardi driver said.
Albers: 'Leclerc seems to have something special'
The Monegasque driver may also have had the home-field advantage at the Grand Prix, which is often discussed as possibly being too boring. "Even though Verstappen and Norris live here and every driver knows every millimetre here, he still seems to have something special. He just really deserved it," Albers said.
Because Leclerc was on the top step of the podium in Monaco, the gap between him and Verstappen has narrowed considerably. The gap is just 31 points. The next Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar is Canada. Leclerc and Lando Norris could close the gap to Verstappen if they can stay at the front, or Verstappen could extend his lead further if Red Bull can improve their recent performances.
This article was written in collaboration with Ben Stevens.