Charles Leclerc highlights key 'advantage' over McLaren and Red Bull

Charles Leclerc has suggested he can afford to be more robust against Max Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers during the final rounds of the campaign.

Oscar Piastri currently leads the drivers' standings going into the Mexico City Grand Prix, with McLaren team-mate Lando Norris just 14 points behind.

A strong run of form of late from Verstappen has seen him become an outside contender as he seeks to add a fifth title to his list of successes.

Ferrari and Leclerc have endured a challenging season and are yet to win a grand prix, although he and Lewis Hamilton have a shot at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as they line up second and third on the grid behind polesitter Norris.

Having little to lose in comparison to those at the head of the standings, Leclerc highlighted he can be a bit more robust against the contenders as they are more likely to yield in wheel-to-wheel battle. 

“I think the context is always important when you’re fighting someone,” Leclerc told the media, including RacingNews365.

“You are aware that, in my case, there’s not much to lose. In their cases, there’s a lot to lose, so that gives a little bit of an advantage.”

However, Leclerc acknowledged his own way of using that edge is at the start of the grand prix, as Ferrari has largely been unable to compete across the season.

“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,” he said.

“But if we are, for sure, especially at the start when you have these kinds of situations, you know that these three drivers will be a bit more cautious with me.

“So that’s a good thing to know.”