Carlos Sainz responded rather angrily to yet another press question regarding the alleged driver hierarchy within the Scuderia Ferrari team. He affirmed that both his and Charles Leclerc’s priority is to win for the Scuderia, not to establish a number one or number two within the team. The Spaniard has shown this year that he can keep up with his teammate and, in some cases, even outpace him, as demonstrated by his victory in Singapore at the Marina Bay street circuit.
Carlos Sainz reiterated to the press: There are no hierarchies within the Ferrari team
“Do you believe that Charles and I are fighting to be the number one (within the team)?” Carlos Sainz thundered in the press conference organized by Estrella Galicia, his longtime sponsor. “The press is responsible for all of this because in our contracts and in our driving styles, it is clear that the number one priority is Ferrari. Ferrari comes first, everything else comes after.” – he pointed out.
“The priority is for Ferrari to win. It has always been this way and always will be. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes behind, sometimes you help your teammate, and sometimes he helps you. As much as people want to find a first and second driver, Charles and I have never had any issues. We have always worked perfectly together.”
The 2023 Formula One season for the Prancing Horse will likely be remembered more for the off-track media controversies than for the car’s performance.
Several times we’ve seen skirmishes between the two Ferrari men (see Silverstone), leading to sharp comments from the Spanish press, which has staunchly defended Carlos Sainz and disparaged Charles Leclerc’s performances. Being a Ferrari driver, after all, entails this type of pressure, in addition to shouldering the championship expectations of an entire nation.
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“This is the beauty of Ferrari. It’s an advantage that, however, is seen as a disadvantage from the outside,” Carlos adds. “Does this affect us? I don’t know, certainly, it doesn’t help. Fans who always try to find the problem or articles that put pressure regarding the first and second driver certainly don’t help.” – he continued – “We are quite accustomed to all of this, and we know how to handle such situations well. But those who care about Ferrari shouldn’t spread and encourage such rumors. First of all, because they don’t represent the truth, and second, because they don’t help.”
Thus, Carlos Sainz tries to silence any attempts to sow discord between him and Charles Leclerc once and for all, urging everyone to pull in the same direction and assist Ferrari in its process of returning to success. The Scuderia’s goal in a decidedly challenging season remains to surpass Mercedes for second place in the 2023 Formula 1 constructors’ championship, with six races to go until the end the current F1 campaign.
Source: f1ingenerale
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