Carlos Sainz Clears Air on Favoritism for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari

2022 was a difficult year for Ferrari because of many reasons. The duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc led them to a well earned P3 finish in 2021, which was a comeback year then. However, the title hopes that were put on them last season, came crashing down after what was a promising start to the campaign.

Throughout the year, Ferrari fans often vented their frustration by accusing the team of making a car that suited Sainz more. There were also others who thought that it suited Leclerc’s style more. This potential confusion between who was the actual number one driver at Ferrari, was a huge topic of discussion within the F1 community.

My colours, our colours. Forza Ferrari!!

–@ScuderiaFerrari #Carlossainz pic.twitter.com/71ChEITmwa

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) February 16, 2023

Sainz, however, insists that the F1-75 was not made to suit one particular driver. He denied the fact that it suited him or Leclerc, and was adamant that team Maranello’s only focus was to maximize the results for the entire outfit.

Also read: Watch: Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon Flexing Their Athletic Strength By Planking During Press Conference

Carlos Sainz explains why car wasn’t suited to him or Charles Leclerc

The F1-75 was a fast car but its potential was limited because of its reliability issues. If those problems were addressed and Ferrari’s strategy team brought their A-game to the table, many believe that the prancing horses could have been champions in 2022.

Talking about the team being biased towards a driver, Sainz straight up denied that. As reported by Motorsport Total He explained how his and Leclerc’s jobs were to identify areas where they could improve in a car that the team designed keeping the both of them in mind.

✨ ✨ pic.twitter.com/pbNfIHwPyI

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 21, 2023

According to the Madrid-born driver, there were areas where both he and his teammates struggled. They passed this information onto the engineers back at the factories, who then worked on improving and tuning it to their advantage.

Also read: “A True Gentleman” – Fans React To Footage Of Lewis Hamilton for Walking 23 Grand Slam Winner and Child To Her Car

Sainz on why he is optimistic about 2023 season

When Sainz arrived at Ferrari in 2021, he had many doubters. Not many thought that he stood a chance against Leclerc, but his consistency led to five podium finishes compared to the Monegasque’s one that year as he finished ahead of his teammate.

On the other hand, consistency became his biggest problem in 2022, as he struggled to adapt to the F1-75. Sainz admits that he has to work on adapting better to the SF-23 this season if he is to compete for the world championship.

However, he believes that he has the ability to go toe-to-toe with Leclerc and the other drivers and compete for the title for the first time in his career.