SUMMARY
- Charles Leclerc is playing keep up with his teammate Carlos Sainz who is on a mission to win.
- Carlos Sainz has been consistent and delivering impressive performances making it difficult for Charles to get recognition.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been teammates since 2020. Charles Leclerc has recently prolonged his contract with Ferrari, the Monegasque is here to stay with Ferrari till the end of the 2028 season. Meanwhile, his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr will be out of a seat for the 2025 season.
Carlos Sainz has had a wonderful start to the 2024 season. The Spaniard managed to finish on the Podium for all the three races he took part to this day. The driver had an appendix surgery in March, after which he returned to race at the Australian GP. Sainz Managed to finish the race first, followed by Charles Leclerc.
Italian driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, who used to race in F1, recently spoke on how Carlos Sainz’s consistency and skill is affecting his teammate Charles. The former f1 driver believes Charles is “suffering“.
Carlos Sainz’s performance has left Charles Leclerc struggling
Charles Leclerc has been a consistent driver who shines in multiple areas of F1. Charles has set impressive lap times during qualifying and races. The Monegesque also stands above Sainz at the driver’s standing, leading by 4 points due to having one race more than the Spaniard.
However, Carlos is getting constant praise and support from the fans. Sainz managed to bag a victory right after returning from surgery, making it more heroic. Such entertaining victories from Carlos have led to Charles’s performance getting discredited.
Former F1 driver shared his thoughts on the Ferrari duo. He said, “I think Ferrari needs a couple of years to aim for the title, but it’s there. Leclerc and Sainz? I have to say that last year, in the second half of the season, I saw incredible growth from Carlos. He proved it with the victory in Singapore.”
The speed of Carlos Sainz so far this year has had an impact on Charles Leclerc, according to former Red Bull driver Vitantonio Liuzzi.#F1 #Ferrari #CharlesLeclerc pic.twitter.com/IkFK57NemD
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) April 14, 2024
He added, “I did not expect to see a Leclerc so under pressure and in trouble this year, he is suffering from the performance of Sainz, who will leave at the end of the season, but Hamilton will arrive in his place; therefore, Leclerc will have an important battle next to him. “I hope Charles can find himself, he will be fundamental for the balance of the red car.”
While so much of Charles’s performance is losing credit due to a better performance from Carlos, it could get even worse when the Monegesques gets paired with Lewis Hamilton for the 2024 season.
Ferrari has proven to be fast by securing seconds or even winning GP’s when Red Bull fails. If Red Bull continues to have issues with the car, it could be an entertaining season and a better opportunity to show off the skills both Ferrari drivers possess.
