Max Verstappen Vs. Charles Leclerc | Final Karting Battle | CIK-FIA World KZ Championship 2013

It will never not make me laugh at how petrified Nico was of Max in 2016 because he looked like this at the time. That's a literal fetus, just some kid who should be in the club but is barely 18, he was driving an F1 car while his mum had to drive him to F1 races because he was too young to drive. Picture Nico is going through it, he's chasing his wdc dream, his team is imploding, and his relationship with Lewis has collapsed. Meanwhile, this is his worst nightmare:

“sebastian vettel emailing his mum” but make it 2025 version

what's your favorite seb/lewis moment? 👀

cannot be expected to pick just one so here are just a few:

2018 abu dhabi podium: one of the first things i came across when i joined this fandom and it is still one of the things i think of most often. everything about it is so horny from lewis randomly stripping out of his shirt on the podium? seb aiming his champagne and shooting off across his back? lewis like. pointing at it? so horny

seb defending lewis during a press conference: lewis gets that annoying question about calling max a dickhead and seb immediately jumps in to defend his wife. it is important to me because lewis always has to defend himself and literally his every move and he CAN defend himself but i love that seb was like hold on babe i've got this stupid one. no worries. and the way lewis looks at seb when seb comes to his defense...please

seb congratulates lewis on his 7th championship + the podium afterward: i actually can't talk a lot about this because it feels very overwhelming for me...i think about seb jumping out of his car going straight to lewis who's been BAWLING and telling him hes just made history every day of my life. also think about the face pat from lewis. he pats seb's face at the same time seb grasps his arm :( as for the podium. also super overwhelming and i said all i need to say in the tags of that post. it's everything to me

seb and lewis sitting on the podium soaking it all in: i actually don't know when this is from but it seems like it would be seb's first podium with ferrari? or something equally as important because.....the way seb looks so overcome with emotion is a lot for me. especially the bottom right gif where seb like. takes a breath looks at the sky trying to take it all in like he can't believe this is happening? and lewis. sitting an inch away from him. looks at him and just smiles. kill me

seb lifting lewis' visor: i honestly don't know why this is one of my favorite moments but it is very very near and dear to me. there is just something about them finishing a race embracing and seb lifting lewis' visor so they can see each other better :( feels very intimate and loving

The Chrimer: 2016, GP3.

In 2016, Charles returns to ART Grand Prix as one of their GP3 drivers. This would be the first (and only) time he'd race under their name in single-seaters; previously, he had karted for the team in 2012 and 2013. It's a good team. By the time Charles joins the roster, they've come off of winning five teams' championships and three drivers' titles in just six seasons.

Their success isn't the only reason why this partnership is advantageous to Charles. It also puts him with some familiar faces.

ART GP was co-founded by two men that would be very integral to Charles' career: Nicholas Todt and Frederic Vasseur. Todt would be the manager that saved Charles' career in karts, and Vasseur would later be Charles' first F1 Team Principal.

In the press release, Charles says:

"I am delighted to be back with the big ART Grand Prix family after my karting seasons in 2012 and 2013. GP3 is a very competitive category and I will be in the best team in the championship. The atmosphere is good and everything everyone is working with a common goal: to win. I am excited about the car they have prepared for this season and I can't wait to start the championship. My objective is clearly to fight for the title."

GP3 would eventually be merged with the Formula 3 European Championship-- the category Charles had competed in the previous year-- to form present day F3. In 2016, however, GP3 was considered a minor step up from F3: the cars were a little faster, and the tires were a little more difficult to master.

Somehow, Charles' announcement that he would be graduating to GP3 with the top team wouldn't be his biggest press release of the week.

On March 1st, Ferrari formally announces Charles as the newest member of the Ferrari Drivers Academy. This had been rumored for months.

Ferrari goes a step farther by also announcing Charles as a Ferrari Development Driver and "on the books" of its F1 customer team Haas. The position with Ferrari would mean that Charles would be working on the Maranello simulators to test data for Vettel and Raikkonen, and the connection to Haas was rumored to be structured so that Charles could gain experience by driving in FP1 practices during the season.

At this point, Haas was the customer team closest to Ferrari; Sauber would not rebrand as Alfa Romero until late 2017.

Charles is the favorite going into the 2016 GP3 season, to the point where Motorsport.com titles their season preview "Can anyone stop Leclerc?":

“His karting record and early campaigns in single-seaters suggest Leclerc might be one of the biggest talents of his generation, but with that has come the burden of expectation. Still, early indications suggest he won't buckle and, if he doesn't, he might be unstoppable. [..] No wonder our entire panel picked him as the champion, Leclerc is the whole package - super fast, quick to adapt, consistent, strong racecraft. It might put too much pressure on him but not winning the title, which is as option in this field, would be a disappointment.”

Charles starts off his GP3 career dominant. He impresses in tests by going fastest:

Before the GP3 season starts, Charles gets his first taste of the future by testing a F1 car for the first time.

He drives a 2014-spec F14T at Fiorano with the goal of completing the 300km needed to be granted a free-practice-only super license. Charles is the first GP3 driver who tests that season.

The FIA super license is the qualification needed for a driver to compete in the F1 World Championship. In order to get a full one, a driver must (as of 2021):

Be at least 18 years old at the start of their first F1 competition

Already have an International Grade A competition license

Have a valid driving license

Pass an FIA test on the F1 sporting codes and regulations

Completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons of any of the approved single-seater Championships

Accumulated at least 40 points over the previous three seasons in those championships

Getting a full F1 super license is critical to Charles' hopes of bypassing F2 for F1 next season. He comes into this season with 17 super license points: 10 from finishing runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps, and 7 from finishing fourth in the previous year's F3 European Championship. In GP3, 30 points are given to the winner and 20 to the runner-up; this means that anything less than first would eliminate his chance of jumping to F1 in 2017.

Charles would continue to excel through the end of the season. Unlike in F3, he would come out swinging and continue strong until the very last race. Charles wins the series opener in Barcelona; he goes from second row to leading the race by the first corner, and never looks back.

According to reports, Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene sneaks away to see Charles' first win as a member of his FDA.

Charles finds his only rival that season in a familiar face: Alex Albon, an old karting teammate and fellow member of the ART GP team. If you want in a more in-depth look into their relationship this season, you can read Part 2 of my Chalex primer.

It is important to note that Alex and Charles trade wins and share multiple 1-2s throughout the season, like so:

In June, Haas would officially announce Charles' first Grand Prix weekend as a test driver. He'd replace Esteban Guiterrez in five practice sessions throughout the season, starting in Silverstone.

Charles does well. He says to NBC Sports:

“It’s been an amazing experience for my first time in a Formula 1 car. I was struggling quite a lot at the beginning, as Silverstone is quite a hard track with lots of high-speed corners, and I found the steering wheel quite stiff in comparison to anything I’ve driven before. However, it was a great session and lap after lap I gained confidence. The last run was on old tires, so we couldn’t show our real pace, but I think we were quite fast. We completed the program and that was the main aim, so I’m happy with that. It was probably one of the best days of my life, and to do it with Haas has been even more amazing.”

Gunther Steiner, the Haas Team Principal, agrees:

“I found it quite good how calm he was about the whole thing, and we must never forget this is an 18-year-old kid in an F1 car - the fastest racecar in the world. I wasn't surprised by him, but I was impressed by him and what he did. [...] He was very professional, he did a good job, and he showed he can do it.”

Four days later, Ferrari brings Charles back to Silverstone to test in one of their cars. He describes the difference to Autosport.com:

"It's two different things. In FP1 with Haas that was mostly for the team because they had a weekend after, and I had to work for them and do as many kilometres for them as possible. With Ferrari it was a long day so we could plan it a bit better. Unfortunately we couldn't do many laps because of a little problem on the old power unit, but both experiences have been amazing. It's still good to get experience in two different Formula 1 cars. The more cars I try, and the different ways I see of working, the more experience I get."

It's very clear that Jules is on Charles' mind as he tests at Ferrari. He talks extensively to the press about his mentor:

“Jules advised me really well in the past, and all his comments he gave me in the past I keep in mind and try not to make the errors he told me not to do. [...] Jules was one of the talents who would have gone [to Ferrari] if the things that happened hadn't have happened.”

Jules' memory weighs heavy on him for that entire season.

Charles continues performing at a high-level both in GP3 and as a test driver: rumors for his next season remain abundant, especially as he stays at the top of the standings. One of the largest rumors is that Charles will bypass GP2 for an F1 seat with Haas the next year.

These hopes are soon dashed. In September, Gunther announces that they will not be signing Charles for 2017. He says:

“In the position we are in, he's too inexperienced. I wouldn't say too young, as Max Verstappen does a good job. We highly respect what Leclerc is doing in FP1, he was on the gain immediately. But what we need as a team is somebody who can score points. We need to train the team, we cannot train the driver. It [taking a rookie] is not an option at the moment, it's not a thing we want to do."

The comparisons with Max continue to loom over Charles, both in F1 and GP3. An F1 junior driving ranking says in the lead up to the final race:

“In an age in which every junior driver is seemingly being measured against Max Verstappen, Leclerc is one of the few who clearly compares favorably. His Euro F3 campaign in 2015 was in my view every bit as impressive as Max Verstappen’s the year before. In 2016, Leclerc stepped up to the considerably more powerful GP3 cars and generally looked strong since winning the first race of the season. He leads the championship going into the last race weekend and most importantly leads another Ferrari junior, Antonio Fuoco, who is now in his second year of GP3. While a Formula 1 seat cannot be out of the question, I expect Ferrari will promote Leclerc to GP2 next. They may still be wary after their previous top junior, Raffaele Marciello, struggled to continue his earlier junior successes in GP2.”

The final race weekend of GP3 ends up the most important: Charles and Alex go into Abu Dhabi each with the chance of claiming the Championship.

Alex says:

"I think Charles' gap is a bit big. In a way I don't have anything to lose, there is no real pressure or anything for me. It's just about doing my job doing the best that I can and let's just hope Charles has a bad weekend."

Neither of them actually finish the feature race. Alex– who had gotten pole position that weekend– hits Jack Aiken while fighting for the lead and has to retire. Charles doesn’t make it much longer in the race; he gets run off the track by Santino Ferrucci while fighting for third.

It doesn’t matter. With the way the points are, Charles wins from the sidelines.

He says:

 “It was really strange to be champion and finish in the wall at the same time. When I heard on the radio we were already champions because Alex was out, then I took the risk. […] But it’s an amazing moment. So much dedication into this season - it’s amazing to finish on a high, on a low, but winning the championship.”

He also makes it clear that sometimes you can be a champion and still make time for drama:

“To be honest what Ferrucci did was completely stupid, I will have to go see him and talk to him. What he [Ferrucci] did already from the beginning of the race was really crazy, I already had problems [with him] this season and he kept going knowing I’m [competing for] a championship, which is really stupid.”

Charles finishes the season with 202 points to Alex’s 177. In December, it is announced that Charles will take Pierre’s-- who has just won GP2-- Prema spot.

And if ART GP is good, Prema is great. It sets Charles up for another banner year.

GREATEST FORMULA 1 RIVALRIES

▷ Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) & Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

fully comprehensive charles leclerc sexiest moments of 2020 recap

Charles Leclerc & Scuderia Ferrari - Wait For Me (reprise) from Hadestown musical

The Chrimer: 2014, Formula Renault.

Charles' karting days are over: in 2014, he graduates to single-seaters.

Single-seaters are known to be difficult to master; their aerodynamics, light weights and powerful engines mean they're both incredibly fast and difficult to control. Charles makes the jump to the category with British racing team Fortec Motorsports. His signing gets announced in November 2013 for the upcoming season.

By this point, Charles has been working with manager Nicolas Todt (the son of a hugely influential Ferrari/FIA boss) for a couple years. Racing isn't cheap: Todt is instrumental in financing his move to single-seaters.

This was critical to the viability of Charles' career. In 2021, Toto Wolff estimated that a "good go-karting season costs €250,000, an F4 season €500,000, and an F3 season €1 million" while speaking about the difficulties young drivers aiming for F1 have.

The Leclercs' aren't able to drop that kind of money on racing: Pascale is a hairdresser, and Hervé works for the family business: a small plastics company.

In 2021, Lorenzo says (awkwardly translated into English):

 “Every year, in karting, we said to ourselves that it was the last season. Charles handled the pressure, knowing that if he didn’t have results, it was over, and that, even if he had results, we weren’t. not sure to continue. Hervé, his father, tried to make it run by all possible means. I was at the national level in karting. Being lucid, I saw that it would be impossible for me to go to F1. So I stopped, because the family bet was to find solutions at all costs for Charles to succeed. Because he, at 11, was already standing out from the crowd, with drivers like Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly."

And from Arthur in the same interview:

"At 14, I played my first full championship. But immediately we had to stop for three years, because for my father it was too expensive to support Charles and me at the same time."

In a 2021 stream, Arthur expands on the difficulties:

"With my father I never traveled once. He didn't have the money for Charles' karting or for me. He did not have the money to go & see Charles in the race, actually. We were staying at home and following Charles in the computer."

(As a note, Charles would work with his uncle once he reached F1 to sponsor Arthur's career.)

In classic Charles fashion, he tried to put a positive spin on it in a 2020 interview:

"I have learned that from my father, who quite often left me alone on the race weekend so that I grew up on my own. I am trying to do the same with Arthur and so far he is doing a great job!"

The Leclerc family has a complicated history with racing: Hervé actually comes from a very successful Monaco family. His stepfather, Charles Manni, was the founder of a local company that manufactures car parts. Here is Hervé showing his F3 car to his stepfather:

And Hervé with his half-brother (/Charles' uncle) Thierry Manni--

However... while Hervé and Thierry fell in love with racing, their father did not.

Thierry said:

"I often read that Charles comes from a modest family, but that's not true. We were the biggest employer in Monaco, but my father held on to a certain number of values. In the family, we do not write blank checks. He put limits on his participation, Hervé gave what he could and, at one point, we even found ourselves faced with an impasse. This is where Nicolas Todt intervened in 2011 to help us, under the leadership of Jules Bianchi. "

Once Charles' career appears to be in jeopardy, Jules-- Todt's first signed driver-- insists that they meet.

Todt is impressed by the karter, and steps in. Usually, a manager attempts to finance a driver through securing sponsorships; in Charles' case, Todt puts the money up himself.

In 2019, Todt says:

"I signed Charles at 14. He should have stopped karting because he ran out of money. I decided to help him. I introduced him to Ferrari a few years ago and today he drives there. And no one can say that he got there just like that: he's there because we did the job. For me, someone like Charles is my greatest pride, the fact that he went there and delivered."

Todt would later expand on this:

"I love finding future stars and helping them make their dreams come true. I am the only manager who does it that way, that is my specialty. It's easy to say: you have to do this, you have to do that. As long as it's not your own money, you can give advice. You can say 'buy this house'. But do you say: 'Buy this house, we make 50/50?' Then it's a completely different thing. If I believe in someone, then I invest. Of course, I also try to find sponsors who help me. But if I don't find sponsors, I'm the one who has to invest. I did that with Jules [Bianchi], I did it with Charles, and I do it with drivers who I think are special."

With Todt's support, Charles is able to compete in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship.

It is worth noting, though, that single-seaters weren't the only thing Charles learned to drive in 2014:

Charles starts his season off by picking his number... 17, which was also the number Jules was racing under in F1 at the time:

Charles starts the season strong. Charles manages to set a category track record at preseason testing: Kartcom's article summarizing the day was simply titled "Charles Leclerc leaves everyone in his trail in Barcelona".

Charles is quoted, saying:

"I don’t think the tests could have gone any better. It’s incredible being a rookie and setting the fastest overall time! We still have plenty of work to do, although I have learned a lot. Listening to the engineers is the key to making progress quickly. And although it’s nice to be quickest, it is still only testing. The races themselves will be a different matter."

Jules sends out his well wishes for Charles' first race in Imola:

And Charles returns it:

Charles might be a rookie, but he impresses his team enough to where they run him in another series concurrently.

Formula Scout would summarize the season:

Leclerc entered Formula Renault 2.0 for his rookie single-season season, embarking on the Alps series for Fortec Motorsports. He quickly became a frontrunner, making the podium at round two at Pau and then twice again at Spa. At Monza he won both races, and followed that with more podiums to secure second place in the championship behind third-year FR2.0 racer Nyck de Vries. Some of Leclerc’s most impressive performances last year came in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 as a guest entry. He took part in six races and finished second in the last three of those, up against lots of drivers with multiple years of experience in the series.

His first win single-seater win is in Monza, where he has a perfect weekend: he also wins that second race.

Of course, in true Charles fashion, he couldn't stop himself from a little self-criticism after the race:

"My start was not perfect and I’ve lost a place. Than I’ve managed to recover it duelling with Isaakyan. When my team told me of the 10” penalty assigned to Riener, I just focused in keeping my pace. This is a very special day as this is my first win ever in singleseaters."

Charles would finish the season with 199 points, 2 wins, 7 podiums and 1 pole position.

Formula Scout would summarize his performance:

After several starring years on the world karting scene, Leclerc’s car debut season was a long awaited one and it lived up to expectations. A non-score at the Imola opener aside, Leclerc delivered a superb rookie season, maturing and improving round after round, which culminated in a spectacular double victory at Monza and saw a further five podium appearances throughout the campaign. A protege of Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management firm, he has also been superb in his guest Eurocup outings and the chief 2.0 series appears to be a logical next step – one he’s more than ready for. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take a higher jump up the ladder than that. 

They were right: Charles would take his old karting rival Max Verstappen's now open F3 seat at Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2015 season.

As a final note, this year was also very tragic: Jules' accident would happen in October, on the same day as Charles' final race in Formula Renault.

I'm not going to go into the details, because it feels like it would be disrespectful: it was a tragedy, and it very clearly deeply affected Charles and his family. Jules was an incredible influence for Charles, both personally and professionally.

Through all of this, however, Charles continues into Formula 3.

But that's for the next chapter.

this is a photo for the ages