'Isack has no idea' - Charles Leclerc slams Red Bull driver for 'nonsense' Max Verstappen claim

Charles Leclerc has branded Isack Hadjar’s recent Ferrari claim as “nonsense,” claiming that the Red Bull driver “has no idea.”

His words arrive after Hadjar claimed that, if Max Verstappen had been in a Ferrari car at the Singapore Grand Prix, then the four-time Formula 1 champion would have “won the race with more margin.”

The Dutchman claimed pole position for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Singapore, eventually winning both events from leading positions; Verstappen edged out Leclerc by 7.3 seconds on Sunday.

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Charles Leclerc brands Isack Hadjar’s “belief” as “nonsense” after Max Verstappen-Ferrari claim

On whether Verstappen would have secured a more emphatic victory in Ferrari’s SF-26, the Monegasque was quick to downplay such claims.

"First of all, I think it's nonsense to start saying these kinds of things. Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives," said Leclerc.

"I think it's such a tight field that it's very, very difficult for us to predict. Yes, of course, we have an idea of how we will be on this track, but when you are speaking about such fine margins, it relies really on optimising your package.

“That has a much bigger influence than what we expect in terms of cars,” concluded the Ferrari star, questioning the foundations of Hadjar’s ‘belief.’

Verstappen has now won the last two Formula 1 races — Hadjar admitted that in Malaysia the Red Bull was the event’s strongest car – but his French teammate believes that Ferrari held an advantage in Singapore.

Hadjar claimed: "In Malaysia, [the Red Bull] was dominant, but I don't think ‌that in Singapore it was the fastest car. That's ‌what I believe.

“I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with more margin. So that's my opinion. In Singapore, I think ⁠[the Ferrari] was the fastest car.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri offered a more well-supported overview, confessing that both Ferrari and Red Bull were “both stronger than us, for sure.”

The Australian said: "I think it wasn't a surprise that Ferrari were very strong in Singapore. I think, on the data analysis, they're always the quickest or joint-quickest or outright quickest in basically every corner this year," the Australian said.

"But they lose on all the straights, whether that's from drag or power, I don't know... but we've expected [Ferrari] to be the benchmark at other circuits and it's not turned out to be the case.

“I think they're very strong. I think clearly Red Bull was very strong. Both stronger than us for sure,” concluded Piastri.

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Charles Leclerc makes Mercedes claim ahead of United States Grand Prix

The Ferrari driver then turned his attention to Mercedes, branding the racing team as an “outlier” that disagreed with his response with Hadjar.

Despite claiming that it is “difficult to predict” the outcome of Formula 1 events, and for drivers to place themselves in the seats of cars they haven’t driven, Leclerc admitted that he had expected more from Mercedes recently.

"I think the only outlier in the last few races is maybe Mercedes, [in] that we expected to be further ahead than they actually were,” claimed Leclerc.

“If they manage to finally unlock the performance that we had in mind for them in the last few races, then they will be further ahead than any others. But otherwise, it's going to be very tight."

Heading into the United States Grand Prix, Leclerc sits fifth in the drivers’ standings on 215 points. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli leads with 340 points and is followed by George Russell in second with 238 points.

The table-topping Silver Arrow can secure victory in the States and lift his first Formula 1 Championship, should a particular series of events transpire at the Circuit of the Americas, and should Mercedes perform as Leclerc has expected them to.

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