Carlos Sainz’s results on top of Charles Leclerc since Monaco
Charles Leclerc(on the left) and Carlos Sainz(on the right)
Ferrari are not in a good place right now. Of course, they are doing much better than they were in the past two years, but considering the performance of the car and the drivers (on most weekends), the end result has been disappointing. Since Imola, they have rarely ever had a clean race and a good result for both drivers simultaneously.
The brunt of the bad luck seems to go to Charles Leclerc, but Carlos Sainz is not wholly free of it either. The Monegasque has retired thrice this season, one time from his own error in France, and the other two times, from power unit problems. But that has not been half of it. Strategic errors with tyre choices, pit stops, and most recently, a tear-off getting stuck in his brakes, forcing him to pit early and then the fastest lap call making him lose another position (due to the penalty).
Carlos Sainz has retired 4 times this season already. One was perhaps his own fault, as he was too impatient after getting anti-stall at the start of the Australian Grand Prix and losing places, but the other three have definitely not been, one being Daniel Ricciardo ramming into the back of Sainz, while the other two were mechanical failures. He may have won another race in Monaco perhaps if not for Nicholas Latifi ‘blocking’ him. But it has been noticed that Sainz’s results have been much better than those of Leclerc recently.
Also Read: “We are in a good place,” Carlos Sainz ‘extremely optimistic’ ahead of Belgium GP
Since Miami: Carlos Sainz (118 points scored) vs Charles Leclerc (82 points scored)
Carlos Sainz was 48 points behind Charles Leclerc following Imola, but he has managed to cut down that lead substantially, and the current gap between the two is only 15 points. A part of that is definitely down to Leclerc’s misfortunes since that race, but Sainz has had to face his own misfortunes as well.
Compared to the start of the season, Sainz seems to have a much better grip on the car than he did before. This has definitely helped him, and the stats show it. Sainz has 1 win and 4 other podium finishes since Miami, while Leclerc only has 1 win and 1 podium. This is much the opposite of what fans had been expecting following the start of the season. Since Miami, Sainz has scored 118 points compared to Leclerc’s 82.
Since Monaco, Sainz has only finished behind Leclerc once, that being his retirement in Austria. Charles Leclerc is considered to be Ferrari’s golden boy. That much is indisputable. But Sainz is no slouch either, and he finished ahead of Leclerc last time out in what was his debut season for the Scuderia. But again, Charles Leclerc’s fortune betrayed him quite often last season, as it has done this season.
Despite Leclerc’s misfortunes, you can take nothing away from the Spaniard. He has certainly delivered the best he can on most occasions and has repaid the faith the team showed in him when they had chosen him to replace Sebastian Vettel. Even if the championship is rather out of sight for both drivers now, they will definitely want to improve the team’s (and their own) performances, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end.
Also Read: “Beautiful day!” Charles Leclerc sarcastically sums up his day out at the Belgian GP
Also Read: FIA clarify Charles Leclerc’s ‘loophole’ penalty decision
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)