Long before the two were ever duelling it out for race wins in the lofty heights of Formula 1, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were just two kids on the karting scene destined for great things.
Regarding the odds, as per the best betting apps described at Overtime Heroics, Verstappen is currently at a ridiculous low -350 to win the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, while Leclerc remains some ways behind him at just +2500 odds of winning his first individual F1 title in 2024.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s karting days may be done but it’s nice to see that these two powerhouses have kept the playful rivalry alive.
“I always thought that, if I would make it to F1, Charles will also make it,” said Verstappen ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. “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. 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.”
Both Leclerc and Verstappen come from extensive racing backgrounds. Charles’ father Hervé Leclerc was a Formula 3 driver throughout the 1980s and 90s, while his younger brother Arthur is currently establishing himself in Formula 2. His Godfather was the late Formula 1 driver Juke Bianchi. Max’s father Jos was an F1 veteran, starting over 100 races between 1994 and 2003. So, it’s no surprise that both had the support and resources needed to compete at the top levels of carting.
The two battled on multiple occasions during their years rising up the junior karting ranks, most notably during the 2013 CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, when Verstappen and Leclerc finished first and second respectively. They even famously had a heated exchange during the 2012 WSK Euro Series, when Verstappen hit Leclerc during a race, nearly knocking him out of contention, with Leclerc responding after the chequered flag by bumping Verstappen into a puddle.
But for Leclerc, he admits that the bright lights of Formula 1 always felt far away at that young age, despite his myriad of successes.
“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,” said the Monegasque during a joint press session with Verstappen. “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 Formula 1 yet.”
As we now know, things ended up working out for both of them. Leclerc had racked up five wins, 30 podiums, and over 1,000 career points during his six seasons in Formula 1, mainly with Ferrari. Meanwhile, Verstappen has blossomed into the undisputed most dominant force in the sport today, winning back-to-back-to-back Drivers’ Championships with Red Bull, including an all-time record ten consecutive race wins during the 2023 season.
Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc might not be the greatest rivalry in the sport today, but both drivers are expected to be at and around the top of the grid in 2024. Thanks to his recent unrivalled dominance, Verstappen and Red Bull are the runaway favourites to take home the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships’ respectively, so much so that a loss for either driver or team would probably be one of the most unexpected results in the history of the competition.
For Leclerc, he’ll be battling it out as part of one of the most competitive chaser groups in recent memory. Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes all could reasonably finish second on the grid next season, and their relative competitiveness should see a ton of exciting and close racing behind the leading Red Bull cars.
Looking at the odds, Verstappen is currently at a ridiculous low -350 to win the Drivers’ Championship, while Leclerc remains some ways behind him at just +2500 odds of winning his first individual title in Formula 1. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s karting days may be done but it’s nice to see that these two powerhouses have kept the playful rivalry alive.
