Leclerc praises Verstappen: 'Max was almost flawless'

Charles Leclerc has complimented Max Verstappen on his dominance this season. The Ferrari driver acknowledges that he and his team have lagged behind Red Bull this season.

For a while it looked like Ferrari and Leclerc could be a formidable opponent for Verstappen this season. Two wins in the first three races gave the Monegasque a comfortable lead over Verstappen. It soon became clear that Ferrari could not continue the positive start: Leclerc won just one more race and saw the title claimed by Verstappen well before the end of the season.

Leclerc also now acknowledges that he and his team did not have the resources to make things really difficult for Verstappen. "Max and Red Bull were pretty much flawless," he said in the press conference ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix. "They did an incredible job and fully deserve this title. We could not seriously challenge them. Our performance was maybe there but we made too many mistakes. We just need to get better. They took a step that we couldn't."

Leclerc also expresses hope that the team will learn from the mistakes made. Both strategically and technically, Ferrari failed this season, so much so that it now has to struggle not to lose second place to Mercedes. Leclerc believes the team needs to be honest with itself and hopes that the good start to the season can guide next year.