Even though the season has changed in F1 in 2023, the luck and outcome remain the same for Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. With repeated questions on strategy since last season, the Prancing Horse’s blunder in the recent race weekend left them exposed yet again, leaving the drivers angry.
In the recently concluded Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari called in both drivers to pit under the virtual safety car. To do the same, they had to double stack, which resulted in Sainz waiting in the queue, and losing time.
Another incident happened at the Spanish Grand Prix, where Leclerc wanted to pit and change to soft slicks. However, he was given hard despite the Monegasque not wanting the compound.
Even after all of these which made the drivers angry, and lose their temper, the duo has been loyal to their team and stayed away from taking chances elsewhere. But now a big question looms over their future.
Ferraris’ focus is on the team, not on the drivers
Ferrari president John Elkann has recently opened up on what the Maranello-based team has in focus currently and it’s not the drivers.
With their primary aim to improve performance and close their gap with rivals, renewing the contracts of the drivers is not of the utmost priority. Admittedly, both Leclerc and Sainz have their contract by the end of the 2024 season.
Speaking of this, Elkann revealed as per SoyMotor, “There are other priorities to focus on.” He further added, “For now, we have to enjoy this moment, it’s also thanks to the talent of the drivers we have.”
This might be because even though Formula 1 has moved to Austria, the end result didn’t change. And it certainly didn’t end up in Ferraris’ favor. In spite of the recent improvements from the Italian team, it was pretty evident how far Charles Leclerc was against Max Verstappen’s pace.
Not prioritizing drivers could be dangerous for Ferrari
The breed of drivers like Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, are not only incredibly talented but are absolutely agile. In a time when having a perfect set of drivers is a dream for every F1 team, Ferrari is certainly bestowed with one.
However, with the recent Ferrari reluctance, Charles Leclerc has been linked to Mercedes or even Alpine, which shouldn’t be the case in the first place.
Moreover, After repeated anger issues with the team on the radio during races, Carlos Sainz was also linked to Audi when they enter F1 in 2026.
All in all, the Italian team might just want to focus on their drivers as much as they are doing on their cars. Otherwise, rivals can very well take the opportunity.
