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).
Sainz” Ya en los libres 1 me ha faltado ritmo y confianza. La quali se me ha ido complicando. Me ha faltado un juego de neumáticos en Q3. Hoy no estaba para luchar por pole. La pole de Leclerc es muy buena para el equipo. Mañana hay otra oportunidad”#f1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/cA20uNooNZ
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 28, 2023
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.
Carlos Sainz leaves his mark in FP1 🤏#AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/agvgPUiPQt
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 28, 2023
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.
Real footages of Carlos Sainz breaking the rules just to check his teammate Charles Leclerc, he’s so savage but also so special pic.twitter.com/vg2aVL89i0
— diana 🎬 (@_diana87) April 28, 2023
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.
