Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are one of the closest driver pairings on the F1 grid. The passion and competitiveness of this duo at Ferrari is at times unparalleled. While both drivers aim to win the championship, they have immense respect for each other. Sainz recently commented on the same in an exclusive interview with DAZN Spain.
As quoted by Formula Passion, the Spaniard stated, “In every race, Charles and I are half a tenth from each other. We are always close. He has great ability in the flying lap and also in the race in recovering and gaining positions at the start. We are a great couple.”
Sainz and Leclerc often have a close competition on track in terms of performance. While the latter excels in single lap pace, the Spaniard knows how to capitalize in the race with better strategic awareness.
The 29-year-old further added that he wished to keep working with Leclerc given how they push each other. He stated, “There is healthy competition between us, but the priority is always the team.”
Sainz also cited his approach to maintaining team harmony. He said, “Personally I try to bite when I have to and control myself when it is necessary to control myself.” In this manner, the two-time race winner seems to keep no room for any bad blood with Leclerc considering his recent comments.
Fred Vasseur cultivating a team culture between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has asserted that the team will treat both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz equally. Vasseur told RacingNews365, “We showed this season that we have more than equal treatment between the drivers.”
Ever since Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021, the team has focused on keeping parity between him and Leclerc. Depending on the situation, each driver had his moment of advantage and the other sacrificed for the team’s good. Case in point: the 2023 Singapore GP.
Ferrari prioritized Sainz’s race at Marina Bay and made Leclerc sacrifice his race to hold off George Russell and the other challengers. The Monegasque also agreed to help as it was the team’s best chance to win a race in 2023. The two worked together extremely well on that occasion to ensure that Sainz won the race.
Ferrari later clarified that they would have done the same for Leclerc, had he been in that position. Vasseur stated, “When we asked Charles to slow down Russell, he did it. It meant that they did a very good job together.”
At several points in the season, the Italian team has opted to maximize performance and switch Leclerc and Sainz to get the best result. Vasseur has made it clear that there is no number one driver among the two.
