F1 Sainz and Leclerc, how the Ferrari hierarchies are changing

Carlos Sainz junior 142 points, Charles Leclerc 123 points. Carlos Sainz junior 1 win and 2 pole positions, Charles Leclerc 0 wins and 2 pole positions. What does all this mean? Nothing. But maybe a little something yes. After 15 GPs, the 2023 World Championship is coming to an end, with 7 races remaining until the end of a championship dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull. But yesterday (some would say finally), they got a little stuck in Singapore. It was clear that whoever took advantage of this unexpected and above all foreseen misstep would make a lot of news and so it happened, also because that someone was Carlos Sainz on Ferrari, the team that in F1 ignites enthusiasm and the spotlight more than anyone else. A victory complete with pole position on Saturday which formally opened a debate, that of the duel for internal supremacy with Leclerc. The starting data cited are cold numbers, but after Singapore it is a fact that Carlos has taken the lead over Principino. Hierarchies overturned? Calm. However…

lights of the scene

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Meanwhile, on the day in which the super Red Bull lost their unbeaten record, it was Sainz who took the limelight, the real one from the Singapore lighting system and the metaphorical one from the victory. And doing it before the eyes of CEO Benedetto Vigna is a further icing on the cake, another important detail. It’s not a victory that moves the rankings up, obviously, Verstappen remains unattainable. But in terms of the duel for second place as constructors, Ferrari is now 24 points behind Mercedes who are second, the challenge is heating up. We must give credit to Sainz for having shown the way very well in recent times. When asked about the unbeatable Red Bull, the Spaniard replied by indicating a path that was anything but banal: “Our challenge is to stay on track, face every GP to grow the car, the team, work to win in every race to make the faster car also in view of next year, try to put pressure on Red Bull who can make mistakes, be ready if they make mistakes”. There it is, in Singapore the plan was followed to perfection.

inside the project

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It’s not that Leclerc’s plan is different, it’s just that Sainz in this sense and at this moment seems more “in” to the project than the Monegasque. Carlos has entered into great harmony with the SF-23, yesterday the team principal Fred Vasseur revealed that “he has been driving very fast since free practice 1 and this is of great help to us because he and Charles together help us to grow in performance over the course of the season”. ‘whole weekend’. More data, more comparisons translate into more chances of doing well in qualifying and the race and especially on a track like Singapore, as we know, the front rows are the basis of a good result in the race. Furthermore, Ferrari seems to have improved in tire wear, the long-distance comparison with McLaren and Mercedes at Marina Bay was comforting, Sainz added skill to the race pace and the result was a race in control first of Russell and then of Norris. Now there is Suzuka, a completely different track where we will see how the SF-23’s set-ups have really become kind to the tyres, the real Achilles’ heel of the red season. But in the meantime Sainz was perfect in following his plan, that of being ready to seize the opportunity to win what Red Bull left along the way.

carlos decided

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Monza and Singapore reported that Sainz was very determined not to be swayed by Leclerc. The Spaniard beat Charles in qualifying for the first time on Ferrari’s home track. Then in the race he resisted the Red Bulls as long as the vehicle and the tires allowed him. At the end, attacked by his teammate who didn’t want to leave him the podium among the Ferrari fans, he pulled out his sword and repelled the assault with some maneuvers that shook the pits and stands, it was clear that there was a difference between the two a duel was underway, the meaning of which went beyond placing on the podium. And Carlos won it.

intuition Dr

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In Singapore we would have expected Leclerc’s reply, especially in qualifying. Instead, Sainz built his weekend in a great way, from free practice to the fight for pole, which he made his own by putting a mortgage on the race and relegating Charles to the role of squire, sacrificed with the soft tires in the first part of the race to cover his back, given that in qualifying he did not go beyond third place. Then in the race, in the excited and decisive final, Sainz also surprised his engineers, with that intuition of allowing Norris the use of the mobile wing, sure of not being overtaken in any case but, in doing so, offering his opponent the possibility of not being overtaken in turn by Russell, who with fresher tires was the real threat for the victory at that point. A strategic move, one of those that are remembered. Leclerc is not in question. But his “weight” in the team is under attack and he must react. The countdown to Verstappen and Red Bull’s titles has now begun. But there are 7 races to enjoy the Ferrari-Mercedes comparison and… this challenge within the challenge, that of the two Carlis dressed in red.