Carlos Sainz lists the drivers whose onboard camera racing footage he uses as reference

Carlos Sainz took his second victory at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023, finishing much closer to his teammate than in 2022.

Carlos Sainz lists the drivers whose onboard camera racing footage he uses as reference

Carlos Sainz (via IMAGO)

Formula One requires drivers to dig deep and extract every single bit of performance possible. A driver’s best estimate or comparison can be obtained from the onboard footage of the other 19 drivers, giving them some idea to what their counterparts are doing in similar machinery.

Carlos Sainz has revealed that he reviews the footage of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris due to their pace across different tracks. The Spaniard said he also reviewed his compatriot Fernando Alonso’s onboards to study the 42-year-old’s race craft. Sainz also checks the closest comparison he can get, Charles Leclerc’s, as they drive in the exact same vehicle.

I obviously always look at Max Verstappen because he’s the one who’s usually the fastest to try to get close to what he’s doing, but I also look a lot at Lando Norris. Obviously also Charles Leclerc because he is my team-mate. And then also Fernando Alonso, but especially his race performances.
Fred Vasseur said, as reported by planetf1

The Spaniard managed to be the best out of all these drivers in Singapore, becoming the only non-Red Bull driver to take victory in the entire. The 29-year-old managed to ruin Red Bull’s clean sweep of the 2023, and hope for the Scuderia Ferrari for the upcoming 2024 season. However, Sainz still has not been signed to drive beyond the 2024 season, despite assertment of his loyalty to the team.

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Fred Vasseur proves that Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were treated the same in 2023

The 2022 season saw Ferrari drivers separated by quite a large margin in a bittersweet year for the team from Maranello. With Charles Leclerc in second and Carlos Sainz in fifth, with 62 points separating the two drivers, it was rumoured that Sainz would be the second driver in 2023. 

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the Singapore Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the Singapore Grand Prix (via IMAGO)

However, Ferrari’s new team principal Fred Vasseur discouraged this, claiming both drivers would be treated equally. The Italian team boss has proven with both Ferrari drivers finishing with near-identical points in a season marked by bad luck for the team. Fred Vasseur claims this proves that neither driver was the ‘second driver’ in 2023, with equal treatment for both.

We found ourselves here talking about first and second drivers, and I assured them that they would be treated the same way. And I think we proved it.
Fred Vasseur

Ferrari did lose out in the 2023 season though, again failing to close the gap to the champion squad of Red Bull. Ferrari also lost out to Mercedes in the final race at Abu Dhabi, getting demoted to third place in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari has worked over the winter break to improve their results in the 2024 season.

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