Red Bull driver Max Verstappen on rivalry with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc: ‘We hated each other’

Max Verstappen said that he and Charles Leclerc ‘hated each other’ when they raced as children.

Verstappen said: “We hated each other at one point because very often it didn’t end in the best way possible.”

The pair are challenging for the 2022 Formula One world championship this season though in recent weeks it has seemed that the Monegasque’s early efforts will come to naught, with the Dutchman moving ahead at the top of the drivers’ championship.

While that reduction in competition might help reduce any tensions between the pair, Verstappen claimed that their experience of racing one another helps them keep away from any antagonism, on and off the track.

“It’s all about margins, how much you respect each other on track,” he stated.

“I know Charles for a long period of time, I have raced a lot more against him so I guess we understand each other a bit better.”

Leclerc starts Saturday second on the grid for the Sprint race, with Verstappen in pole.