Ferrari: The battle rages on between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr
In their first year as teammates, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr are neck and neck in the driver standings. Which of the two will finish ahead of the other at the end of the season?
After a challenging season in 2020, tarnished by an internal struggle between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari is experiencing a much calmer 2021 season. Indeed, the team is earning more points in the championship than last year, allowing them to still be in the running for 3rd place in the constructor’s championship.
After 17 races, the prancing horse team has 250.5 points and is positioned in 4th place in the constructor’s championship, just 3.5 points behind McLaren. For comparison, after 17 Grand Prix, the Maranello team has 119.5 more points than last season. It is worth noting the efforts made by Ferrari to get its car back on track after completely missing the mark with its SF1000 (131 points and a 6th place in the constructors’ standings), the performance and consistency of the current drivers are bringing the Scuderia back up the standings. Indeed, the tifosi remember the too many clashes between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc in 2020, resulting in a zero score at the end of the Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc the consistent
Probably less in the spotlight than in previous years, Charles Leclerc is nevertheless having a season marked by great consistency. With 128 points, the young Monegasque is currently in 6th place in the drivers’ world championship, only 21 points behind Lando Norris, his predecessor.
In 17 races, Charles Leclerc finished in the points 14 times, with an additional podium (2nd place) at the British Grand Prix. However, he has had 2 retirements, one in Hungary and the other in Monaco before the race even started, despite starting from pole position.
His feat? His second place at Silverstone. He capitalized on the collision between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the start to take the lead. While he had hoped to win the Grand Prix, he had to relinquish the lead to Lewis Hamilton just a few laps before the checkered flag.
6.4 is the average position at which the Monegasque driver places his SF21 when he finishes a Grand Prix this year.
Carlos Sainz Jr, consistently brilliant
As a defector from the McLaren team, the Spaniard arrived at Ferrari with the objective of scoring as many points as possible while being the number 2 driver in the Italian team. It must be admitted that the Madrid native is delivering and fulfilling perfectly the objectives demanded by the Scuderia. With 122.5 points, the Spaniard is positioned 7th in the drivers’ standings, just 5.5 points behind his teammate (6th).
In 17 races, Carlos Sainz Jr also finished in the points 14 times, including 3 podiums, without ever having to abandon a race. He arrived third twice (Hungary and Russia) as well as a magnificent 2nd place in Monaco, Carlos Sainz has collected a lot of trophies this year.
His highlight? His second place in Monaco, his first podium with Ferrari. The Spaniard managed to lift the spirits of his team after his teammate’s retirement even before the start of the race in the streets of the principality. Opportunistic, he also took advantage of Valtteri Bottas’ retirement to grab the 2nd place behind Max Verstappen. He will be joined on the podium by Lando Norris, his former teammate at McLaren.
6.6, this is the average position at which Carlos Sainz Jr places his Ferrari after 17 races (without retiring). It is worth noting that his lowest finishing position this year is twice 11th, each time just outside the points.
If today the two drivers of the Scuderia are as well placed and so close in the standings, it is in fact the result of exemplary consistency. This consistency has not yet brought a victory to the Scuderia but finally shows a bit of professionalism within a team that has been too disorganized in recent years.
What about our two protagonists, which of the two will finish ahead of the other in the championship? The Scuderia Ferrari will have to manage with a masterful hand the enthusiasm of its drivers if it wants to finish in third place in the constructor’s championship. An unspoken goal by the Italian team which, not long ago, stated that it was not concerned about the constructor’s championship this year as it was already focused on the 2022 season.
