While Red Bull has made clear its preference for Max Verstappen over Sergio Pérez, Ferrari is staying out of team orders for the time being. And Charles Leclerc has commented on it and the Carlos Sainz crisis.
Things started off great for ferrari this season, but little by little they have gone wrong and the Italian formation arrives in Monaco after losing the leadership of both championships in the previous race.
For this reason, the Principality Grand Prix is doubly important for charles leclercwho is racing at home again and will try not only to win, but at least to finish the race for the first time since he has been in Formula 1.
“Carlos has always been very strong in Monaco, I’m sure he will be there with me”
“It hasn’t been the luckiest circuit for me, but that’s racing. So far 2022 has been satisfactory, hopefully at home as well. I don’t know if we are favorites, but I think there will be surprises in this race,” says the Monegasque, who in 2021 could not even start the race after having taken pole the day before.
In recent years, Monaco has been called into question by the little show it has offered with increasingly larger and heavier single-seaters. But Leclerc is clear that “F1 is not F1 without Monaco. There is no other circuit that generates more adrenaline for the driver in qualifying, the most fun of the year, and in the race as well. One of the biggest challenges for a pilot.
Carlos Sainz
But regardless of what Charles Leclerc achieves in Monaco, what is abundantly clear is that both he and Ferrari need the best Carlos Sainz to take on Red Bull.
And Leclerc has no doubt that “Carlos will come back very quickly, he is a strong driver.. He has suffered a little more to adapt to this car, I was a better fit from the beginning to this style of driving. But I’m sure Carlos will be in the fight soon.”
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“I can’t speak for Carlos, I can only speak for myself and yes, this year I am riding with quite a bit of oversteer. and i’m comfortablealthough if it is that with which he is suffering more, or is it something else, I do not know, “he admits.
In fact, Carlos himself has already given explanations in this regard and his teammate has no doubt that Sainz will be, once again, very fast in Monaco. “Carlos has always been very strong in Monaco.I am sure he will be there with me fighting for pole. I hope it’s both of us.”
team orders
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull left no room for doubt as to which driver is destined to fight for the world title. At one point, Max Verstappen had priority over Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc has been asked if he foresees something similar at Ferrari.
“I will not make those decisions, you can ask Mattia (Binotto),” he says at the beginning. “I haven’t talked about anything or heard anything. Red Bull has made its intentions clear, but it is a matter of time before Carlos is with us, more comfortable with the car. I don’t want to depend on that either, I want to do my job in the car and show that we can still win races.”
It is true that, at the moment, Ferrari has not seen the need to prioritize one driver over the other. But there is no doubt that the 39-point deficit that Carlos Sainz accumulates against his teammate at the moment places the Spaniard in a delicate position.
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari