Paa wrote: ↑06 Apr 2025, 00:39
My post was not about Leclerc, it was just a very easy and obvious example of someone who does spectacular things on both end of the spectrum.
Also I didn't say Max puts it on pole every weekend. But he is very close to maximizing his possibilities almost every time. And he does that by making very minimal number of mistakes.
So his peak performance / lame mistake ratio is super impressive.
It's small, often imperceptible(when not compared in a direct side by side) mistakes that create the difference between good and great drivers(over time). Verstappen had the ability to get pole in the Sprint race in China, for example. But he messed up a couple corners in small ways, when Lewis didn't. This doesn't mean Lewis is a better driver, just that Max did fail to extract the most out of the car even when he was still miles ahead of his teammate.
But nobody would accuse Max of not being a great driver, it's just no driver can be perfect all the time. And it's very much worth noting that Leclerc deals with a much, much higher caliber of teammate competition than Max. I know your point isn't about Leclerc specifically, but on one lap pace, I think Leclerc is probably every bit Max's equal in pulling out laps that push beyond what people expect from the car, and even when not, are still there putting it in a competitive situation.
Leclerc's deficit to Max is probably moreso in bigger mistakes. Leclerc certainly makes some boneheaded mistakes that cost him results. And Max is better in a greater range of adverse situations(at least today, earlier on not so much).
