Berger rates Verstappen above Leclerc for now

Gerhard Berger

(GMM) Ex-F1 Gerhard Berger says Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are clearly F1's "stars of tomorrow".

Although 2019 was initially billed as a clear Lewis Hamilton versus Sebastian Vettel battle for the title, it is the two younger drivers who have been attracting the most recent plaudits.

"Hamilton is slightly different as he is at a higher level," Berger told Italy's Autosprint.

"But the future is with Verstappen and Leclerc."

Leclerc, who like Verstappen is 21, is the current man of the moment, having won his first grands prix back-to-back at Spa and Monza.

"Ferrari has one of the strongest drivers for the next world championships," Berger admits.

"But Verstappen has been at the top of the wave for some time now. His value is huge."

Berger also says Verstappen and Leclerc are difficult to compare, as their climb to prominence in Formula 1 was not the same.

"Leclerc did Formula 3 and Formula 2, while Verstappen went directly from F3 to Toro Rosso," said the Austrian.

"In F3 they both drove for Van Amersfoort, and Verstappen did a little more there as it was his single seater debut.

"The differences between them are small, but for now Verstappen has done more than Leclerc," Berger said.