Despite two victories in the past two races, ex-Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger believes Max Verstappen is still fractionally ahead of Charles Leclerc.
The two youngsters, who turn 22 this month, are developing into Formula 1’s next two top names and are slowly taking the fight to end the reign of Lewis Hamilton.
However, when asked if they were already on the Briton’s level, the Austrian told Italy’s AutoSprint: “Hamilton is slightly different as he is at a higher level, but the future is with Verstappen and Leclerc.”
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As for which of them is the top youngster though, it is a tougher call.
“Ferrari has one of the strongest drivers for the next world championships [in Leclerc],” Berger stated. “But Verstappen has been at the top of the wave for some time now. His value is huge.”
Even trying to draw a conclusion from their relative junior careers is difficult…
“Leclerc did Formula 3 and Formula 2, while Verstappen went directly from F3 to Toro Rosso,” he continued.
“In F3 they both drove for Van Amersfoort, and Verstappen did a little more there as it was his single-seater debut.
“The differences between them are small, but for now Verstappen has done more than Leclerc,” Berger concluded.