That was almost what Charles Leclerc must have thought at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where just half a second difference from Max Verstappen separated him from victory, after the Dutchman overtook him three laps from the end in a titanic duel.
The Ferrari driver controlled almost the entire race after inheriting the lead after the first pit stop, but the reigning world champion took advantage of the virtual safety car caused by two failures in Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren and Fernando Alonso’s Alpine to recover the possibility of opening the DRS with Leclerc.
Verstappen was more than a second off the lead when the Virtual Safety Car appeared, but managed to drop down into contact with the slipstreaming Ferrari. Leclerc brilliantly defended the Dutchman’s first attack, ceding the lead into the last corner, and overtaking the Red Bull driver at the end of the straight.
However, that was not enough: “I tried to trick Max [Verstappen] by letting him pass in the last corner, and I got the DRS to pass him again on the straight, but this was not enough to win. I have enjoyed this race a lot, They are tough but fair battles, all races should be like this.”
On the second occasion, Verstappen learned his lesson, passing the Monegasque at the end of the straight. It seemed that the Red Bull car was taking the lead, but Leclerc did very well to stay behind the world champion’s RB18 and try the attack again despite the fact that his rival’s car was -because of the set-up chosen- much faster than the F1-75.
With one lap to go, an incident at the first corner between Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon forced the stewards to show yellow flags, and stopped Leclerc’s last possible attempt, which seemed to be within reach of the Dutchman. That held the positions, with Verstappen crossing the finish line first, with a half-second margin over the current championship leader.
“Obviously I am disappointed because I would have liked to win, but something was missing,” Leclerc acknowledged when speaking of the final duel with the Dutchman from Red Bull. “Between Max and myself there were very different set-ups. We were very strong in the corners and they were very fast on the straights. We had more downforce and we were slower on the straights, so I had a hard time keeping up with him. a great job and he won, it was a good race.
Finally, Leclerc explained that his relationship with Verstappen is one of mutual respect, a good way to face this new challenge, but the doubt is that, as the World Cup continues, something could change.
