With the Maranello team finishing third behind Mercedes and Red Bull this season, it is hoped that the early development change to their 2022 car will pay off to close the gap.
With one of the most closely matched driver pairings in Formula 1, Ferrari understands that if their duo find themselves in a close championship battle when the two points stand apart, it could be a compromise.
Team boss Mattia Binotto is clear, however, that Sainz and Leclerc will start at eye level – and that it will be the results on the track that will ultimately decide whether there is a point at which they have to prefer one.
“In terms of the drivers, as we’ve said many times before, I think it’s the track that will dictate it,” he said.
“The priority is always the team, but if they can fight for an important position in the championship, it will be the track that shows who is ahead.
“And sometimes I think that it’s not just about driver talent or driver capacity. A driver can be very unlucky and have damage, reliability issues, or crashes.
“So I don’t think we need, and certainly will not have, a number one or number two policy at this point in time. We’ll just discuss it based on the positions along the way whenever the time comes. “
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21, fights with Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Sainz had an impressive first season for Ferrari in 2021 with 5.5 points and two positions ahead of Leclerc.
However, Binotto doesn’t think there is reason to believe that Leclerc has underperformed this year as he believes the Monegasque rider has had bad luck at times.
“For Charles, I have to say that I am very happy to see his progress this season,” he said.
“I think he was always kind of very quick in qualifying, even in the last part of the season, when Carlos may have challenged him a little more.
“I think we shouldn’t forget that there are some examples during the season, Monaco and Budapest, where he didn’t score. I think he was unlucky as a driver on these occasions.
“Without them, and it’s hard to say where he would have ended up, but maybe he’s missing at least 40 points from his score. Without that, in my opinion, he would have been much further up in the championship.
“That’s why I can only judge his season very positively again. He has also learned to deal with the tires, with the racing situations and the racing pace. So I’m very happy with the progress he’s made. “
