Italian journalist stirs debate: “Carlos Sainz would have outperformed Lewis Hamilton”. Giorgio Terruzzi compares Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's performances at Ferrari.

In the Bahraini desert, the differences between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton emerged. The Monegasque seems more at ease at the wheel of a still inconsistent Ferrari, but appears to have found something to extract its potential – an untapped potential that should be more evident in Saudi Arabia.

“Let’s hope this step will be more noticeable next week,” said the #16 driver at the end of qualifying in Bahrain. “Considering we’re third with such a small gap to the others, you can see the upgrades worked.”

On the other side of the garage, the seven-time world champion continues to struggle, and admits it candidly in front of the cameras. “Don’t expect miracles,” he warned on the eve of the Sakhir weekend.

At the moment, #16 is proving faster than Sir Lewis Hamilton. Giorgio Terruzzi is also convinced, analyzing the situation between the two Ferrari teammates on his podcast: “Charles Leclerc is working small miracles. Perhaps Lewis Hamilton is the one telling the real truth about the car,” said the well-known journalist.

A strong performance was expected from the Briton, someone ready to give Leclerc a hard time. It’s true that so far, in their head-to-head, the former Mercedes driver comes out slightly ahead, having already taken a mini pole and a Sprint Race win in China.

But if we go back to the Bahrain weekend, the data brings us back down to earth: ninth in qualifying, fifth at the finish line. Leclerc had qualified third – promoted to second after George Russell’s penalty – and finished fourth.

“Hamilton is no rookie”

And yet we’re not talking about “a rookie,” as the journalist defined him on his podcast Terruzzi Racconta. Then he launched a provocative question: what if Lewis Hamilton had been replaced by Carlos Sainz? “There are many who could play second to Leclerc. But this guy is called Lewis Hamilton,” he pointed out. “He’s not a youngster just starting out. Can we say that Sainz, with this car, probably would have achieved better results?”

In Saudi Arabia, at the Jeddah circuit, Ferrari will try to close the gap to McLaren, currently unbeatable. The Scuderia will need to exploit its potential in high-speed corners, and qualifying will be crucial.