Charles Leclerc must ‘rein in’ his driving style to beat Max Verstappen in title fight

Charles Leclerc must change his driving style to ensure he can compete for the title against Max Verstappen, according to Naomi Schiff. The Ferrari star must also ‘rein in’ his driving skills to ensure he finishes races if he wants to have a go at fighting for the title.

Schiff said it was important to be ‘very consistent’ over a season rather than throwing away good results to chase better ones. She even described the Monegasque as ‘too eager’ when on track in a major warning to the Ferrari star.

Leclerc was lying third at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before spinning out while trying to pressure Sergio Perez into a mistake. Leclerc recovered to sixth but lost points on a day title rival Max Verstappen secured victory.

It leaves the Dutchman just 27 points behind Leclerc despite Verstappen suffering two retirements this season. Speaking to Express Sport ahead of Sky Sports’ new W Series coverage, she said: “I think it’s too early to put it down to pressure because I think Charles was in a pretty decent position going into the weekend.

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The incident is Leclerc’s first error of the season but small issues have plagued the young Monegasque’s career. He crashed out during qualifying for the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when he looked set to secure pole position.

He also crashed while chasing down Lewis Hamilton for the lead at the German Grand Prix a couple of months later. Leclerc crashed during qualifying at Monaco last year and despite setting the fastest time, was forced to the back of the grid after damage.

Speaking after Imola, he said: “I mean P3 was the best I could do, we didn’t have the pace for much more. I was too greedy and I paid a price for it and lost seven potential points compared to third place, so it is a shame. It’s seven points that are valuable at the end of the championship, for sure, and this shouldn’t happen again.”

Naomi Schiff is a presenter for Sky Sports F1 and W Series. Watch every single race of both competitions live exclusively on Sky Sports.