“Qualifying Has Been Getting More Complicated”: Carlos Sainz Reveals Why Charles Leclerc Did Much Better Than Him

Tanish Chachra | 29/04/2023
"Qualifying Has Been Getting More Complicated": Carlos Sainz Reveals Why Charles Leclerc Did Much Better Than Him

Charles Leclerc got his third pole in Azerbaijan after the Friday qualifying session. But on the other side, his teammate Carlos Sainz had a troublesome day as he finished P4.

While Leclerc overpowered the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Sainz was over eighth-tenths of a second slower than his teammate. Meanwhile, the Spaniard was also only a tenth of a second better than Lewis Hamilton, who ended on P5.

So, what led to such a stark difference? The 28-year-old race confesses that the qualifying has been getting more complicated for him. He even claims lack of resources further added to his problems.

“Already in FP1, I lacked rhythm and confidence. Qualifying has been getting more complicated for me. I lacked a set of tires in Q3. Today I wasn’t there to fight for pole position. Leclerc’s pole position is very good for the team. Tomorrow there is another opportunity,” said Sainz, as per Albert Fabrega (translated with Google).

Further frustration for Ferrari?

The 2023 season gave an underwhelming start to the season. Sainz only gained 20 points from the first three races of the season. Meanwhile, Leclerc only picked six, as he only had one race finish so far in the season.

This poor start has frustrated the bosses at the Maranello-based team. A report from Spain even claimed that Ferrari could remove Sainz from the team amidst the rising tensions.

On the other hand, reports linking Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to Ferrari are also heating up. But Sainz’s exit reports haven’t got enough reiteration, and he could still turn around his season just like Leclerc seems to do now.

Charles Leclerc sees first positive in the season

By his own admission, this was the worst start to any of Leclerc’s F1 seasons. Having only six points from the first three races of the season was a big blow to the Monegasque.

However, the first day in Azerbaijan gave him and Ferrari a big boost. With Sprint race results not determining the grid order for Sunday, this is a big boost for the Ferrari race driver.

Would he be able to translate this momentum into the first race win of the season? That remains to be seen. But the next step is to bag extra points from the sprint race on Saturday.

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
carlos sainz Charles Leclerc ferrari

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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