Carlos Sainz admits he NEVER expected Ferrari to be competent enough to close gap to Red Bull at Suzuka

Carlos Sainz surprised by Ferrari’s pace at Suzuka

Carlos Sainz admits he NEVER expected Ferrari to be competent enough to close gap to Red Bull at Suzuka

Carlos Sainz (via imago)

Charles Leclerc finished P2 behind Max Verstappen in Friday’s FP2 session. The Dutch driver was only three tenths quicker than Leclerc in his Ferrari. Leclerc looked positive about Ferrari’s pace this weekend and confirmed that he’s searching for the extra couple tenths with his team. Carlos Sainz, fresh off of his second Grand Prix win, is pleasantly surprised at how close Ferrari is to the leaders.

Sainz confessed saying, “This weekend the gaps to our closest rivals seem very close”. “On my side, we’re still fine-tuning the car a lot and today we tested many different set-ups to try to find the best compromise for this track. We have a lot of data to look into and tonight we’ll need to decide what settings to run tomorrow, trying to put the car in the right performance window,” added the Spaniard.

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The fans were delighted to see the Kings of 2023, Red Bull, being dethroned, if only for a single race, in Singapore. Carlos and Charles, along with the entire Ferrari team, will be hoping for a similar challenge this weekend.

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Dutch Commentator puts Charles Leclerc on blast while praising his teammate

Dutch commentator Allard Kalff claims Carlos Sainz can be a much better lead driver at Ferrari. Kalff recently told Motorsport.com, “I think Carlos Sainz can be more of a team leader than Charles Leclerc. The way Sainz talks on the radio, the way he takes matters into his own hands. I think the fact that he’s winning now is fantastic and that he’s doing it this way is equally fantastic.”

Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz (via Sky Sports)
Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz (via SkySports)

The commentator cites the Singapore GP and how Sainz managed the pace at the front and made decisions himself to secure a stunning Grand Prix Victory. Kalff’s remarks suggest that Charles Leclerc hasn’t been able to lead the way when Ferrari have needed him to.

The Tifosi often helm Charles as their Golden Boy. Leclerc is usually portrayed as the main prospect at Ferrari. But with Sainz besting him of late, debates about who deserves to be Number 1 at Ferrari have started arriving.

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