F1 journalist sees 'new' Verstappen: 'Basically he doesn't care'

Charles Leclerc is being hard on himself after the French Grand Prix. The Monegasque crashed out after less than twenty laps when he landed in the wall, allowing Max Verstappen to win a lot of points again compared to the Ferrari driver. The F1 Nation podcast discusses Leclerc's contradictory statements.

Formula 1 journalists Daniel Ortelli and Erik van Haren are this week's guests in F1's official podcast. The gentlemen discuss Leclerc's mistake during the race at the Paul Ricard circuit. "It was a big difference with Max. Max made mistakes in the past, and he will make mistakes maybe later, because he is not a robot, he’s human. After every mistake, he is so hard on himself. You can say that’s good, but you can make a mistake", Van Haren says.

After the race Leclerc told the media that he will be the one to blame if he misses out on the title this year. The Monegasque thinks he has never been so strong, but he makes too many mistakes. Ortelli finds it a strange statement.

"It’s a contradictory statement. I’ve never been that good, but I keep making mistakes. He really is very hard on himself, and doesn’t allow himself to make a mistake. He knows he’s so competitive, and he knows they are up against Red Bull."

'We have a new Verstappen'

Leclerc slowly made his way back into the championship after his win in Austria, but his slip-up in France has increased his deficit back to 63 points. Verstappen, meanwhile, remains calm and knows he needs to grab as many points as possible every race.

"It’s strange, because Max now has results the same way Lewis had results before. He was always on the podium, finishing the races. Now we have a new Max who is so cool, so relaxed, that basically he doesn’t care whether he wins or finishes second or third. He just wants to take the points", says the French journalist.