Charles Leclerc sent a message to F1 rival Max Verstappen after sealing his fourth title (Image: Getty)
star has put himself in an awkward bind after offering his congratulations to for sealing his fourth consecutive Formula One title.
after passing the star on his way to taking fourth place in Sin City.
The 26-year-old was left in no doubt that the Dutchman, 27, merited the title after collecting eight victories this season and he sent his rival a classy message on social media.
“First of all, huge congrats to Max for his 4th title, fully deserved,” Leclerc wrote on .
He added: “He has had an amazing season and always maximised his results which has paid off for him. It gives us motivation to be even stronger next year and hopefully we can put him under some more pressure then.”
As some eagle-eyed F1 fans pointed out, however, Leclerc went to the trouble of tagging Verstappen in his social media post – despite not following him on the platform.
Charles Leclerc posted a message to Max Verstappen on Instagram (Image: Instagram/@charlesleclerc)
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It continues a long-running saga from when the two drivers clashed at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, where Verstappen ran Leclerc off the road to deny him his maiden win in F1. After the race, Leclerc unfollowed Verstappen on and the Monegasque seemingly hasn’t felt compelled to undo that move since.
With the Drivers’ Championship mathematically out of reach, he is now focused on “giving it everything on my side” to challenge for second place, which is still up for grabs.
Despite being the main challenger to Verstappen this season, the star has 340 points and is now only 21 clear of Leclerc. There are a maximum of 60 points up for grabs in the final two races of the season, as the Qatar Grand Prix hosts the sixth and final F1 Sprint of the 2024 campaign.
Charles Leclerc speaks with Max Verstappen at the Las Vegas GP (Image: Getty)
If Leclerc were to win the sprint and claim victory in Sunday’s race with the extra fastest lap point, he can bring down that gap down to 13 points – even if Norris finishes second in both events. There is also the important matter of deciding which team is crowned Constructors’ champions, with three teams still in the hunt.
saw their lead cut by the Scuderia to just 14 points after scored a podium finish and Leclerc came home in fourth. , meanwhile, were sixth and seventh with Norris and Oscar Piastri respectively.
are still mathematically in the fight, although their 53-point deficit to makes them rank outsiders to retain both titles.
In any case, there is still plenty to play for and it will make for a thrilling season finale in Abu Dhabi, even though Verstappen clinched the title in Las Vegas.