Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz started their second season for Scuderia Ferrari in 2022, after a first year in which they worked together very well, both on and off the track. However, in seasons where there is a championship on the line, we often saw tensions can rise between team mates, even more when they are both in the mix to constantly challenge for podium finishes and race wins.
Some feared that as Ferrari got back to the top with the F1-75 project, but there has been no such tension at the Maranello team – at least not yet – as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz continued to get on very well and work in the interest of Ferrari, both on and off-track. If anything, Carlos Sainz admitted that racing against such a strong teammate as Charles Leclerc is helping him become a better driver:
“Charles always produces extremely good laps through practice into qualifying, and this year also very good race pace. He’s always a great reference to have in the team, a great guy to get on with, a guy that I really have learned a lot from in the past few years and a guy who I look forward to having as a team mate for the future, because we get on well and create a good partnership.” – the Spanish driver explained.
“We get to spend a lot of time together both at Maranello and at the track and normally have similar opinions about a lot of stuff. Apart from that, when it’s time to have fun, we can have fun, play some sports. Not everything is super serious and team-dependent. I hope we can keep it that way.” – Carlos Sainz added.
And the Spaniard confirmed that the strong relationship extends to Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, who was the one who pushed hard for Carlos to sign with Scuderia Ferrari after the Maranello team decided not to renew Sebastian Vettel’s contract for 2021 and this year was keen to extend the Spaniard’s contract for two more years, until 2024, just like Charles Leclerc’s current deal:
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“Mattia has been for me a very important piece of the puzzle,” he says. “When joining Ferrari, he was the one who trusted me probably more than anyone, when signing me, and I had to be there to prove him right. I had to be there in 2021 to produce results he and Ferrari expected from me. Since then, my relationship has been great, I think he’s a great team leader. I think the appreciation and respect he has inside the team is huge and he’s leading us in the right direction for sure.” – Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz concluded.
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