Charles Leclerc – Carlos Sainz, 4 years of comparisons: numbers favor the Monegasque driver. The duel between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz was balanced and sometimes tense.

A Four-Season Red Derby
The 2024 Abu Dhabi GP marked the end of four years of coexistence in the Ferrari garage between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. This year, the pair came close to securing Ferrari’s first Constructors’ title since 2008, but in the end, it was McLaren who celebrated after a head-to-head battle that lasted until the final Grand Prix. After the race, Leclerc used kind words to pay tribute to his Spanish teammate, who in 2025 will make way for Lewis Hamilton in red and aim to revitalize the Williams team. Over these four seasons, however, there were moments of tension between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with intense on-track battles and occasional barbs exchanged via team radio or through the media.

Charles Leclerc Wins Across the Board
The final tally shows a generally balanced competition but with a clear winner: Charles Leclerc. The #16 driver prevailed in all statistical categories, from points to head-to-head results in qualifying and races, as well as the number of victories and end-of-season standings. The pair raced together in 89 out of a possible 90 events, as Carlos Sainz missed this year’s Saudi Arabian GP due to appendicitis. The direct comparisons in races were based on events where both drivers finished.

The greatest difference between the two emerged in qualifying, traditionally Charles Leclerc’s strong suit. Both in single-lap pace and race performances, the Monegasque nearly doubled his former teammate in head-to-head battles. However, in terms of standout results, the gap was narrower: over four years, Charles Leclerc won only two more races than the Spaniard, with a total of 31 podiums to Carlos Sainz’s 25. This highlights Carlos Sainz’s ability to capitalize reasonably well when the car was competitive.

Carlos Sainz with More Retirements, but…
Carlos Sainz had the disadvantage of more retirements—11 compared to Charles Leclerc’s 10—but only three of his were due to technical issues. In contrast, six of Charles Leclerc’s retirements (including two DNS occurrences in Monaco 2021 and Brazil 2023) were due to technical problems with his car. Therefore, it can be argued that neither driver was significantly favored in terms of car reliability and durability.