Before drivers make a name for themselves in Formula 1, they all had (sometimes) long careers in karts and step-up classes. In the earlier years, the current generation of F1 drivers met there too. For Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, it is no different: as youngsters, they already fought each other in karts.

In Las Vegas, both drivers looked back on that time. During the press conference after qualifying – in which Leclerc was just too fast ahead of him – Verstappen said he always expected the Monegasque to break through to the very top level.

“I always thought that, if I would make it to F1, Charles will also make it. You can see already from, I think, a young age, the really strong drivers, what they were back then, they are also in F1 now. It’s never been a surprise to me that Charles is sitting here and, of course, after that you need a little bit of luck to be in the right team here and there to get on the front row, but it’s not a surprise that we are sitting here together, I think,” the Dutchman stated.

Leclerc saw Verstappen’s class

For his part, Leclerc said of the three-time world champion: “No, same. But at the same time, obviously when you are young, and you are in karting, F1 feels so far away that, for me it was obviously not a given that I will finish in F1 one day,” the Ferrari driver said.

He continued. “I think we knew that we were very fast because we were already competitive in karting and whenever we change categories, we will always be competitive – but it’s still such a long way off F1 that you don’t really imagine yourself in F1 yet. But it’s amazing. I mean I have really, really good memories. Other memories that are less good but became really good with time! You get older and you look back on moments that maybe you didn’t enjoy at the time that are very funny. It was good times,” Leclerc laughed.