Formula 1 Sainz vs. Leclerc – Global Sports Planet

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Ferrari currently has one of the best duos on the current grid: Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc. Both drivers are two of the fastest on the grid and have already shown what they are capable of and are looking to win the world title with the Prancing Horse.

Charles Leclerc arrived at Ferrari in 2019, and for two seasons in a row, beat four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who left the team at the end of 2020. Carlos Sainz, after two great seasons at McLaren, replaced the German to lead Ferrari, alongside Leclerc, to the glory of the good old days.

Ferrari has lived a few years of internal restructuring where they did not have a competitive car with which to fight for the world championship. Now in 2022, not only do they have a competitive car, but they have two drivers to match. Let\’s see how good they are!

Sainz & Leclerc: Present And Future Of Ferrari

Ferrari has had a difficult decade. The Prancing Horse has not won the constructors\’ championship since 2008 and the drivers\’ championship since 2007, so it has undergone major internal reshuffles in recent years to win a title soon, with its drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz being the most visible side, and the team\’s hope.

The Monegasque and the Spaniard came to Ferrari to stay, although they arrived at the team in very different ways, so let\’s take a look at their stories.

Carlos Sainz: The Spanish Hope After Alonso

Carlos Sainz Jr. has racing in his blood. His father Carlos is the best Spanish rally driver in history, with two world rally championships and three victories in the Dakar Rally. For this reason, Sainz Jr. has always been surrounded by cars since he was a child and has had a true teacher and example to follow in his own home.

Sainz was part of the Red Bull Junior Team program from a very young age, rising through the ranks with them in the lower categories, and winning the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC in 2011 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2014, which earned him his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015.

The Spaniard stayed at Toro Rosso until the first half of the 2017 season, scoring on a regular basis and outperforming the more experienced Daniil Kvyat, while gaining more and more experience and confidence in the category. In the second half of 2017, he replaced Jolyon Palmer at Renault, and during 2018 he established himself as a very consistent driver, scoring points with the French team in 13 of the 19 races he finished.

2019 and 2020, with McLaren, were the years in which Sainz established himself as one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid. Sainz led the team and scored 2 podiums (McLaren hadn\’t scored one since 2014), which earned him a move to Ferrari in 2021.

The Italian team experienced an uncompetitive 2021 season, and the car was not up to the standards of its drivers. Still, Sainz managed to get 4 podiums and beat Leclerc in the championship, so he had a great first season with Ferrari. Now in 2022, Ferrari has a competitive car, and Sainz has scored 5 podiums and his first victory, at the British GP.

Charles Leclerc: A Driver Made At Ferrari

Like Sainz, Leclerc also has racing in his blood, as his father raced in Formula 3 in the 1980s and 1990s, and from a young age had a close relationship with the late F1 driver Jules Bianchi, who was his godfather. Leclerc was one of the most talented drivers in the lower categories, and in 2016 he entered the Ferrari Academy.

Leclerc won the GP3 Series in 2016 and Formula 2 in 2017. These victories earned him a seat in F1 with the Alfa Romeo Sauber team in 2018, Ferrari\’s \”B team\”. Leclerc outperformed his car throughout the season, scoring points on a regular basis and beating his experienced teammate Marcus Ericsson.

After this great season, Ferrari called him in 2019 to replace Kimi Raikkonen. The Monegasque shared team with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel until 2020, beating him and becoming the new team leader. During those two seasons, Leclerc established himself as one of the great promises of F1, and as one of the best qualifiers on the grid, obtaining 7 pole positions.

In 2021, Ferrari did not have a good year, marked by an uncompetitive car, and Leclerc lacked some consistency. In 2022, things have changed, and Charles is being far superior to Sainz, so if reliability and the team strategies allow it, he can stand up to Max Verstappen.

Sainz vs. Leclerc: Career Stats

Carlos Sainz made his F1 debut at the age of 21, and with 151 entries since then, now 27 years old, he is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. The Spaniard obtained his first, and so far only, pole position and victory at the 2022 British Grand Prix, and has a total of 12 podiums, 2 fastest laps and 663.5 career points.

These figures mean that Sainz has achieved 0.66% of the victories, 7.9% of the podiums, 0.66% of the pole positions, and 1.3% of the fastest laps in the races in which he has participated. It is true that these are not very impressive figures, but we must not forget that for much of his career, Sainz has had uncompetitive cars.

Charles Leclerc made his F1 debut 3 years after Sainz, also at the age of 21, and in 91 entries, he has a total of 4 wins, 17 podiums, 15 pole positions, 7 fastest laps and 698 career points. This means that he has won 4.39% of the races in which he has raced and has achieved 18.68% of podiums, 16.48% of pole positions, and 7.69% of fastest laps.

Sainz vs. Leclerc: The 2021 F1 Championship

Both 2020 and 2021 were very uncompetitive years for Ferrari, with their drivers having to overperform their cars to finish in the top 5.

After Sebastian Vettel\’s departure at the end of 2021, Charles Leclerc became the clear team leader, and Ferrari signed Sainz as second driver, although the Spaniard has shown that he is not at the Italian manufacturer to be anyone\’s second driver.

The battle between Sainz and Leclerc was very close throughout the 2021 season. Each one shone more in his specialty: Sainz in the race and Leclerc in qualifying, and both drivers had a good year for the car they had, although Sainz was a bit superior, and finished ahead in the championship, only 5.5 points ahead of the Monegasque.

Leclerc had 2 retirements and scored in 18 races, while Sainz, who had no retirements, scored in 20 races, marking an impressive streak of 15 races in a row scoring. The Spaniard scored 4 podiums, while the Monegasque only 1, although he achieved 2 pole positions. Sainz shone for his consistency, while that was what Leclerc lacked a bit in some races where he got into trouble in the middle of the grid pack.

With these results, the #1 and #2 driver roles in the team dissipated somewhat, with Sainz proving that he was not only worthy of driving for Ferrari but that he could even outperform Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz	Stat	Charles Leclerc
164.5	Points	159
0	Wins	0
4	Podiums	1
0	Poles	2
0	Fastest laps	0
0	Retirements	2
2nd	Best result	2nd
7,48	Points / GP	7,22
5th	Final position in the championship	7th

Sainz vs. Leclerc: The 2022 F1 Championship

In 2022 everything has changed. Ferrari has, next to Red Bull, the best car, and Leclerc has proven to be far superior to Sainz so far, asserting his position as the leader of the team.

However, the Monegasque has been on a downward trend since the start of the season, which has been marked in large part by bad luck and reliability problems. Leclerc started with 2 wins and 2 podiums in the first 5 races and led the championship.

In the other 5 races, he has had two retirements due to reliability problems and has not been on the podium again. He is currently third in the championship behind the two Red Bulls. He has proven to be the best in qualifying, with 6 pole positions so far.

On the other hand, Sainz has had much less race pace than Leclerc and has had 3 retirements: 2 due to accidents and 1 due to reliability. Nevertheless, he has achieved 5 podiums, 1 victory, and 1 pole position, and has been closing the gap with Leclerc in the championship.

Sainz is currently fourth in the world championship, just 11 points behind Leclerc. With his victory in the British GP, against the team\’s indications, he has struck a blow on the table that could create great tension at Ferrari. There are still many races to go, and anyone could finish ahead in the championship.

Sainz vs. Leclerc: Strengths and Weaknesses

Leclerc and Sainz, each with their strengths and weaknesses, have proven to be two of the best drivers on the grid, making them an enviable duo for any team.

Sainz\’s greatest strength is undoubtedly his consistency. Between 2021 and 2022, he has achieved an incredible streak of 17 consecutive races in the points. This is coupled with his great adaptability to any car, as he has achieved great results in every team he has been in. Therefore, Sainz is a guarantee of good results and that he can bring the car home after every race, being a very reliable driver.

He is also a driver with intelligence and judgment, who always brings something to the table in terms of race strategy. However, perhaps his greatest weakness is that he does not excel at anything, i.e., he is good at everything, but not brilliant at anything in particular, which makes him competitive at everything, but sometimes not fast enough to win.

On the other hand, Leclerc is undoubtedly the best qualifier on the entire grid, even when he doesn\’t have the best car. He is also a very classy driver, both on and off the track, and his driving is very smooth. The Monegasque knows how to take care of his tires and the car, and he also has a great race pace.

However, his weakness is that he is not as consistent as Sainz. In addition, unlike the Spaniard, Leclerc does not have as much initiative and does not question the team\’s strategies as much, which has cost him more than one displeasure in 2021 and 2022.

Sainz vs. Leclerc: Relationship and Lifestyle

Although on track Leclerc and Sainz fight to be Ferrari\’s leading driver, off the track the two get along wonderfully. Both the Monegasque and the Spaniard have a relaxed and easy-going nature and have always got along well with their teammates, creating a good atmosphere in their teams.

The two often make jokes and banter with each other at press conferences and team videos, and do a lot of activities together, such as playing chess, paddle tennis, or golf. Both drivers are passionate about sports, such as surfing, boxing, and cycling.

Charles lives in Monaco with his girlfriend Charlotte Sine, a young architect and influencer, with whom he is often seen in the paddock, on social media, and at events. They lead a healthy and quiet life in the Principality and often go out to bars with friends or go boating along the French Riviera.

On the other hand, Carlos is more private about his life outside the track. It is known that his girlfriend\’s name is Isabel Hernáez, a young journalist, and they live in Spain. Apart from sports, Carlos enjoys spending quiet time with his family and dogs, barbecuing, and watching movies.

Conclusion

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are Ferrari\’s bet for the future. After so many years without winning, the Prancing Horse hopes to win the title with one of them.

It is in the hands of the Italian team to build a competitive car with which to break the dominant decade of Red Bull and Mercedes, as their drivers are more than ready to be world champions, as talent and ambition are not lacking.