Leclerc delivers verdict on Verstappen F1 title hunt

Charles Leclerc has delivered a “never say never” assessment to his chances of winning the drivers' championship this season.

The Monégasque driver triumphed in his third race of the season in the United States on Sunday, controlling the race from start to finish, whilst main title protagonists Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were classified in third and fourth respectively.

Leclerc is now 79 points adrift of Verstappen in the championship, making a  late surge for the title unlikely.

When asked about the prospect of winning the drivers' championship this year, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365: “I mean, never say never.”

However, Leclerc admitted Ferrari's chances of prevailing in the constructors' standings remain much higher.

The Italian outfit is 48 points behind leaders McLaren and eight points behind reigning champions Red Bull. 

"Let’s say that for the constructors', if we do everything perfect until the end of the season, no matter what McLaren does, if we do better than them, I think we can still clinch that title," he said.

"With the drivers, I see it differently. Even if we do everything perfectly, I feel it will require a little bit of luck to try and get that title, and we cannot rely on luck.

“So the drivers’ seems to be quite unlikely, but again, I’ll believe in it until it’s mathematically impossible, but trickier.”