Former Swiss F1 driver Marc Surer compared
Charles Leclerc with
Carlos Sainz and gave a verdict on which driver is better for
Ferrari.
For four seasons, Ferrari has elected a relatively young driver lineup consisting of Charles Leclerc- a driver from their academy, and Carlos Sainz- who came from McLaren.
As we know, this pairing will change starting from 2025, as the team from Maranello will replace Sainz with the seven-time World Champion from
Mercedes (while
the Spaniard will head to Williams).
But did Scuderia make the right choice? Should they have kept Leclerc or Sainz? Former F1 driver Marc Surer shared his thoughts on the topic in an interview with
Formel1.de:
“"Charles Leclerc is the faster driver of the two, but Sainz is the luckier one."”
What the Swiss former F1 driver was trying to say is that Leclerc might have higher potential in terms of pure speed, "but if something isn't 100 percent right, then he's nowhere."
On the other hand, Surer believes Sainz might be the opposite of the 26-year-old. He might not have as much raw speed, but he managed to get more out of it on multiple occasions to score unexpected victories.
"He kind of sums it up. He wins races where he shouldn't win," said the 72-year-old, pointing to some of the Spaniard's recent wins- Singapore 2023 or Australia 2024.
“"Even now, he has made it to the podium every now and then, and people have said: 'Oh, where did he come from?' And that's exactly what Sainz is like, he gets it right."”
Moreover, the 29-year-old driver seems much more relaxed, as opposed to Leclec, who seems to always be at the limit, which is where he makes mistakes.
“"He [Leclerc] is really always at the limit, and maybe his nerves are at their limit more than Sainz, who seems more relaxed."”
Ultimately, Surer suggested that if Ferrari want to become Champions, Leclerc seems to be a better choice than the Spaniard because of the better speed.
“"If you want to become world champion, you have to take the fastest. And Leclerc is the faster one."”