Charles Leclerc has admitted that he and Max Verstappen shared a "long list of conflicts" that left them "hating each other" on their journey to Formula 1. The pair were fierce karting rivals as teenagers and came together multiple times on track as they fought for European and World titles. The most famous conflict of all remains a viral hit to this day, with a clip of the duo having been viewed millions of times on social media. It was filmed shortly after the two karters came together, with Verstappen having called Leclerc "unfair", while the Monegasque simply described the collision as "nothing, just an incident."
A viral video and plenty of other incidents
"This video is viral; I've seen it so many times now on social media. But yeah, they were very good years, for sure," said Leclerc, speaking to members of the media, including RacingNews365.com . When discussing their relationship in the junior categories, the Ferrari driver added: "The list [of battles together] is long. In karting, we had a lot of conflicts, really a lot. "We were racing together for like four or five years and every race we were fighting for wins and, obviously, loads of things happened in karting. "We were also young and crazy, and we hated each other, at that moment."
Leclerc: We've both realised our dream
Now the two drivers share a far more civil relationship, with their battle having moved to the sharp end of the F1 grid. Verstappen and Leclerc have been seen embracing one another at the chequered flag, regardless of who wins, with both clearly enthused by the challenge of racing in the premier class. "We have both realised our dream to be fighting in Formula 1, so the relationship has changed since then. I think we both look back on these years with a smile on our faces," continued Leclerc. "We basically did all our karting years together and we were both dreaming of one day arriving to Formula 1, and now it's the case and we're also fighting for the championship. "It's really cool. I like to fight with Max, it's always on the limit and I really enjoy it for now. "I hope it can stay like this for the rest of the season and, hopefully, we'll be able to improve the car throughout the season to stay with them for the fight in the championship."
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