Charles Leclerc has downplayed the chances that the Formula 1 title battle between the McLaren drivers and Max Verstappen could open up opportunities for Ferrari.
Ferrari has five rounds remaining to avoid ending 2025 without a single race win amid a tumultuous season that has not built on the potential that last term promised.
But although the Italian marque’s protracted championship drought is now guaranteed to continue, the team could still hold a role in deciding which driver is crowned.
Red Bull’s astonishing revival has propelled Verstappen into contention, with the Dutchman 40 points behind Oscar Piastri, who has a 14-point lead over Lando Norris.
Leclerc aided Verstappen’s cause in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix as a pass on Norris at the start allowed the Red Bull driver to create an unassailable gap.
But while he has acknowledged the title contenders will have to show more caution like Norris did in Austin, Leclerc suspects Ferrari won’t have the pace to capitalise.
“I think the context is always important when you’re fighting someone, so you are aware that, in my case, there’s not much to lose,” he told Motorsport Week.
“In their cases, there’s a lot to lose, so that gives a little bit of an advantage.
“But for that, to use this advantage, I need to be on their pace and, at the moment, it doesn’t seem that we are on the pace of McLaren or Red Bull.
“But if we are, for sure, especially at the start when you have these kind of situations, you know that these three drivers will be a bit more cautious with me.
“So that’s a good thing to know.”
Leclerc tips McLaren to resist Verstappen charge
Despite the momentum resting with Verstappen as he’s taken three victories in the past four races, Leclerc has still backed either Piastri or Norris to come out on top.
“I think Max is always driving at a very high level and considering Red Bull is probably the team that has pushed the development more than other teams,” he said.
“I think McLaren has stopped quite a while ago. We also stopped quite a while ago, and Mercedes and Red Bull are the two teams that pushed for a bit longer.
“So it’s not a complete surprise. I’ll be very surprised if he manages to win the championship from where he is.
“I mean, again, he’s always on top of things and always performing extremely well, but it’s still 40 points and 40 points is significant.
“So yeah, if I had to bet one dollar, I’d probably hold on the McLaren drivers, but yeah, you can never rule out Max.”
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