F1 Ferrari, Sainz-Leclerc competition: the couple’s secret

Forget the legends of the great races: Gilles Villeneuve against Didier Pironi; Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost; Fernando Alonso against Lewis Hamilton and so on. You can be teammates, and fight for important results, without being enemies. An example is Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the “Running Horses” who have been a team for four seasons at Ferrari. There is an ongoing rivalry between them that however has never known real moments of tension, apart from a few discussions that were immediately clarified. It is rare in the world of F.1, which is often characterized by fierce conflicts. And it is part of the positive aspects that have been created in the Maranello team. “Carletti” have gone through difficult years together, helping each other, with the common goal of bringing red back in front of everyone. The mission is not yet complete, but the finish line seems to be getting closer in 2024, which has made Ferrari make great progress, narrowing the gap to Red Bull’s Super Max Verstappen, the ruler of the last World Championship.

friendship

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The magic formula that allowed Charles and Carlos to live together in peace, despite both having the speed and talent to desire victory, was their intelligence. They are intelligent people, respect each other and know how to honestly recognize if their partner was the best, managing to put the interests of the team before their personal success. A rare commodity. Moreover, the relationship is also connected outside the circles: trips, dinners, chess or padel games, fun time. The fact that we were close in age, work and interests helped. While the conflict between Sebastian Vettel, already a four-time world champion, and Leclerc, who emerged at the time, was not settled, the latter reached Ferrari in 2019.

equality

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The Leclerc-Sainz pairing is also one of the most balanced in terms of performance, considering the number of seasons with Cavallino. In the first four races this year, Carlos won, having to miss Jeddah due to appendicitis, but in those three participations he won in Melbourne and two other podiums, always finishing ahead of Charles. The Spaniard, champion of consistency and regularity, almost always manages to express himself better. It is his best quality. While Leclerc, considered by many to be the more talented of the two, pays a variable income. In particular, the Monegasque is now suffering in qualifying, which is his favorite area, as shown by 23 pole positions won in F.1. Starting from the back prevented him from fighting for victory in Australia, where Ferrari wisely limited his chances after Verstappen’s retirement, forcing him to return to Japan. But if Charles returns to his level in the flying circuit, making good use of the tires on the SF-24, it is expected that he will be able to beat Sainz and that the comparison will be as balanced as before.

get to lewis

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Sainz’s start to the championship was good, as if he wanted to make Ferrari regret the decision not to extend his contract, giving way to Lewis Hamilton from 2025. The Spaniard got more motivation from him with the victory in Australia, two weeks before. since his appendicitis surgery, he has been a symbol of this grit. Yet the art child, despite knowing he has to leave the team, behaves like a team man while maintaining a good partnership with Leclerc. Acting as more glue is the experience of Frederic Vasseur, the head of the team who in thirty years of racing has learned to know the drivers and the dynamics that have been created in the team very well, indeed important burdens in the season that risked seeing Sainz. in the “strange” position of isolation at home. This has not been the case so far and there is reason to believe that his Ferrari experience will end on a high note.