'Quicker' Leclerc Picked Over Sainz To Stay At Ferrari By Former F1 Driver
F1Tuesday, 16 April 2024 at 09:15
Updated at Tuesday, 16 April 2024 at 09:28
Former F1 driver Thierry Boutsen agreed with Ferrari's choice as he picked Charles Leclerc over his older teammate.
Ferrari's decision to keep Charles Leclerc and let Carlos Sainz go has been heavily disputed, especially since the third and fourth races of the season.
Sainz completed three races, won one of them, and stood on the podium every time so far, even though he was in pain after his appendicitis surgery.
The 29-year-old knew before the first race that he would not be able to compete at Ferrari after the end of this season, and that seems to have indirectly boosted his performance.
As Thierry Boutsen described in his interview with Planet F1, the Spaniard only has to make as much as possible out of his last races with Ferrari.
But the Belgian former F1 driver also sees this as a reason why Sainz now shouldn't be put above his Monegasque teammate; he explained the two face different kinds of pressure.
"These two guys are in two very different situations, positions, and ambitions as well."
"One (Leclerc) has got the contract signed, so he takes maybe a little bit of distance to think about the future and think about how to help the team, and prepare for the future. Sainz is there to make as much as possible in the last races with Ferrari because he has no choice."
In terms of results, the two Ferrari drivers have, in general, always been very closely matched. Sainz had the edge over Leclerc in their first season together.
However, Leclerc then outperformed the Spanish driver in the last two seasons. If Boutsen had to pick, he says he would keep the 26-year-old.
"So the pressure is different. The mentality of the two is different. I would personally keep Charles instead of Carlos if I had a choice."
"If you look at the person over the years that they've been together, Charles has been quicker than Carlos."
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