The sharp end of the Formula 1 grid is very competitive, as seven different drivers have won a Grand Prix this year.
Max Verstappen is on the verge of his fourth world championship despite Lando Norris and McLaren enjoying a quicker car at some rounds over the summer.
The Red Bull driver was dominating the championship in the opening rounds, winning seven of the first 10 events.
Verstappen is ruthless in wheel-to-wheel combat and has come out on top the majority of the time when battling Norris this year.
Despite all his success, Martin Brundle commented on Sky Sports F1 that there is one driver that he thinks is even quicker than Verstappen.
Martin Brundle thinks Charles Leclerc is ‘the fastest driver in Formula 1’
Charles Leclerc has been blisteringly fast since he made his debut at Alfa Romeo in 2018 after winning the Formula 2 title.
The Monegasque is superb in qualifying, extracting the most out of the car over a single lap. This is a vital skill as overtaking is so tricky in Formula 1 with the modern, wide cars.
Leclerc has stepped over the limit at Ferrari on some occasions, such as in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix this year at Red Bull Ring.
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Brundle explained that Leclerc needs to stop making needless errors, but he can match his new teammate, Lewis Hamilton, next season.
He said: “I think Charles is probably the fastest driver in the Formula 1 right now. He pushes the car himself, the tyres and the track to the absolute limit, and he occasionally ends up in the wall.
“So he’ll have to stop that. But, I think that’d be even stevens, actually. But Lewis knows how to win a World Championship. He knows how to win many world championships.
“And as Lando [Norris] has found out this year, that’s a piece of information that you have to go and find out. And Charles hasn’t found that out yet.”
Charles Leclerc could push Ferrari towards the Constructors’ Championship this season
They will decide if Hamilton or Leclerc will lead Ferrari heading into 2025 but the Italian team can still win the Constructors’ title this year.
Ferrari are 36 points behind the championship leaders McLaren with three rounds to go and need some luck to intervene to take the title.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
593 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
557 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
544 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
382 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
86 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
49 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
46 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
44 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
0 |
Leclerc will start the Las Vegas Grand Prix from fourth place with his teammate Carlos Sainz in second position.
Critically, both Ferraris are ahead of the two McLarens on the grid. They have struggled to match the frontrunning cars at one of the colder races of the season.
