“That’s Why Carlos Sainz Won That Race in Singapore” – F1 Expert Points Out What Charles Leclerc Lacks

In a Red Bull-dominated season, Carlos Sainz winning the Singapore Grand Prix stood out as a remarkable achievement. At the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Sainz persevered through tire problems and a difficult course to lead Ferrari to a historic victory. In light of this F1 pundit Martin Brundle hailed this incredible feat, highlighting Sainz’s captivating performance that defied Red Bull’s overwhelming dominance.

In a recent discussion with Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle closely examined the Ferrari pair, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Analyzing their distinct racing styles, Brundle highlighted a crucial aspect where Leclerc falls short and Sainz excels.

The F1 pundit highlighted how Leclerc has not converted the last 12 of his poles to wins. As per F1 Maximaal, the 64-year-old said, “You could argue that Charles may be the very fastest driver on the grid in 2023 in terms of some of his pole position laps, but he hasn’t converted any of the last 12 poles into a win.” 

However, in contrast, Brundle underscored that while Sainz may not push his limits as much as Leclerc to claim the title of the faster driver, the 29-year-old certainly excels in keeping things under control.

Interestingly Brundle attributed this ability of Sainz as the key reason why the Spaniard emerged victorious in the Singapore race. The former McLaren driver said, “I think you have two different drivers, with Charles always pushing the limit and Carlos putting it together and that’s why he won that race in Singapore.”

However, as he concluded, Brundle highlighted the crucial point that Leclerc must improve for Ferrari to be in contention for the 2024 title. The F1 commentator said, “Charles needs to stop throwing him into the wall so much  and just use the full potential of everything they have there.”

Can Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc iron out mistakes from the last two seasons in 2024?

During the first half of 2022, Ferrari initially topped the standings. But Max Verstappen’s surge and consistent reliability issues led to their downfall. Similarly, this year, those familiar mistakes cost the Maranello outfit P2 in the constructors’ championship.

Martin Brundle acknowledged Leclerc’s absence from the winner’s circle and provided his viewpoint on how the team’s notable mistakes have impacted their overall performance. He said, “It’s not all his fault. I think Verstappen played a big role in that, as well as the car, the reliability, and a few clumsy strategic decisions. They need more power, more downforce, better strategies.”

Indeed, the issues highlighted by Brundle warrant attention. So let’s swiftly examine the pertinent concerns surrounding Ferrari. Last year, the team initially excelled in qualifying with a potent engine, but its reliability ultimately faltered.

Adding to these challenges, Ferrari has faced strategic shortcomings since last year, making questionable tire choices and occasionally delaying driver pit stops. This was glaringly evident in the US GP, where Leclerc, starting from pole, opted for a one-stop strategy, a unique choice in the field.

Besides this, both Leclerc and Sainz have also made mistakes several times to cause issues for the Scuderia. The Monegasque driver crashing out of the lead at the 2022 French GP is a classic example of this. Likewise, he also crashed in qualifying in Zandvoort and on the formation lap in Brazil in 2023. Meanwhile, Sainz had his fair share of crashes and incidents mostly in practices.

However, a more comprehensive evaluation comparing Ferrari’s performance under Frederic Vasseur’s leadership might reveal growth in these aspects. Under Vasseur, pit stops and strategies have marginally improved relative to 2022. Likewise, the reliability was much less of a problem as the SF-23 was closer to Red Bull till the 2023 season’s end.