“Carlos Sainz strikes me as Ferrari’s leader”- Former F1 Champion questions 24-year old Charles Leclerc for making multiple mistakes

Charles Leclerc has had a difficult 2022 season up until now, and Damon Hill feels Carlos Sainz has shown more maturity. 

Sainz joined Ferrari last year and a lot of people expected him to spend time in Leclerc’s shadows. That wasn’t the case however. He went on to become one of the most consistent drivers last season and finished ahead of his teammate come the end of the year.

2022 has been more difficult for him. He started the season off very poorly, and made multiple errors that saw him throw away big points. Nevertheless, he bounced back with his first F1 race win in Silverstone and has been on top form since then.

He was on his way to a P2 finish in Austria as well, before his engine blew up. At last week’s French GP, he drove a fantastic race finishing P5 despite starting P19.

Leclerc meanwhile has had his entire season plagued with bad luck and mistakes. He has had to retire on three different occasions while leading a Grand Prix.

Also read: “Please let Bottas through” – When Lewis Hamilton kept his promise to Valtteri Bottas at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz is more mature but lacks in raw pace to teammate Charles Leclerc

Sainz earned plenty of plaudits last season after his brilliant debut campaign with Ferrari. The Scuderia entered the 2022 season with a car that was capable of winning races consistently.

As a result, many expected the Spaniard to fight for the Title alongside Leclerc. That hasn’t been the case so far as Sainz found himself under a lot of pressure in the early stages of the year. Since then however, he has kept his foot down and produced some brilliant performances.

Leclerc however has found it difficult to deal with pressure. The stakes are higher for him since he’s in a Title battle with Verstappen, but he has thrown away a lot of points by making mistakes.

1996 World Champion Damon Hill feels that Sainz has been a better leader for the Italian outfit. He does not dismiss how well Leclerc has driven this season, but adds that his habit of making mistakes at a level this high may cost him the World Title.

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