Charles Leclerc was defeated by Carlos Sainz in a fair and impartial manner throughout the 2024 season. Sainz, who has been the leading driver of Ferrari since the beginning of the season, consistently achieved podium finishes in every race he participated in. Furthermore, the 29-year-old driver broke Red Bull’s winning streak in Australia, bringing the trophy to Maranello. Sainz’s impressive performances have raised questions about the superiority of one driver over the other, which has been a subject of reflection.
Leclerc had already been sidelined before the start of the season when he learned that his teammate, Sainz, would replace him at Ferrari. This left the 26-year-old driver struggling to secure his increasingly uncertain future in Formula 1.
On the other hand, this announcement may have served as motivation for Sainz, who has now surpassed his teammate in every race he participated in. Although Leclerc is revered for his speed in qualifying, he has been outperformed by Sainz in that aspect most of the time.
As a result, Leclerc admitted his lack of speed compared to Sainz. The 26-year-old driver acknowledged that his performance in qualifying has been a hindrance. This is an unusual phenomenon for Leclerc, as he has always been considered one of the best qualifiers on the current grid. However, now he needs to work on improving his qualifying performance, as Sainz seems to have the upper hand in the team’s internal battle.
When it comes to qualifying and even the race, Sainz seems to have an advantage over his Monegasque teammate. However, Ferrari team principal, [Name], came to Leclerc’s defense. The Frenchman dismissed any claims that Leclerc is “slow” compared to his former teammate.
[Name] is aware of the difference between Sainz and Leclerc, but defended the latter for his below-par performances in qualifying. The 55-year-old driver firmly believes that cases where Leclerc is not on pace are rare occurrences. Furthermore, the Japanese Grand Prix weekend was an exception, as Leclerc had only one set of tires for the Q3 race and needed to be more cautious.
Despite receiving support from his team boss, it is clear that Carlos Sainz is capable of extracting a better performance from the SF-24 compared to Charles Leclerc. As a result, all eyes in the paddock will be on the Ferrari duo to see if Leclerc can improve his performances or if he will continue to struggle.
© 2024
