Carlos Sainz-Charles Leclerc Rift “Inevitable”, F1 Pundit Explains Deeper Cracks in Frederic Vasseur’s Camp

The Chinese Grand Prix did not go as expected for Ferrari, the team that needed at least one driver on the podium. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came in at P4 and P5, respectively, which was less than optimal if they are trying to contest Red Bull this year. This has made the gap wider and this time people think it’s both drivers’ fault.

Sainz and Leclerc got into some on-track battling in China, which was noticed both during the Sprint Race and the Sunday Race. This cost the team some valuable time, which led their opponents to get ahead. Sky Sports F1 Podcast covered the race and Matt Baker, joined by David Croft and Christian Hewgill, discussed why Ferrari lagged in the races.

F1 pundits breakdown Ferrari’s China performance

In the discussion of the race, the focus moved towards Ferrari and everyone tried to get to the bottom of why Ferrari did not finish on the podium. David Croft stated, “Leclerc felt Carlos was over the limit in the Sprint race, and then in the race at the beginning, we saw that they lost out in the opening couple of corners and then lost places, and that was because they were fighting each other.”

Given the current situation in the paddock, on the one hand, Leclerc will be driving for Ferrari till 2028, whereas Sainz Jr. is still without a seat after the end of this season. Taking everything into consideration, Croft highlighted the different headspaces that the two drivers might have while racing and mentioned, “We’ve got Leclerc, who knows his future, he sets and Carlos as driving for himself now, isn’t it? He’s the one who’s ultimately fighting for his place in Formula One.” 

To this, Christian Hewgill responded, “It’s just inevitable because the thing that stops you, you know, racing drivers are unique beasts, you know, they are competitive in all areas, and the thing that stops them, you know. You want to beat your teammates, the oldest adage in the motorsport book, and the thing that stops them going healthily against their teammate is playing the team game the position in the constructor championship, knowing you’re representing all the people in the factory, but if you’ve been kicked out of that team and you are trying to put yourself in the market.”

The Pundits agreed that Carlos Sainz has more to prove than Charles Leclerc as he has yet to fix a seat for himself for next year.

What is the situation with Carlos Sainz Jr’s 2025 team?

According to Hewgill, “[Sainz] he’s still thinking maybe I can push myself into a Red Bull seat, Maybe I can push myself into a Mercedes seat. Regardless of what he’s thinking, he’s one of he’s wanted to give the very best version of himself.

“And if you’ve been kicked out by Ferrari. I just think it’s inevitable, you know if he was still contracted to that team for another two years and thinking I might have the chance to win a World Championship with this team if I’ve got this team’s support around me, then you might play a different game.“

Now it’s up to Carlos Sainz Jr to decide where he wants to go after this season. Most of the teams will be more than happy to work with him and he has been proving his worth this year with his win at the Australian GP. Being the only non-Red Bull race winner, he will stand out of all the other drivers at the end of the season. With the way he is racing, there are chances that he might just pull off another race win, but his constant on-track battles with his teammate may hinder his plans of doing so.

Going back to Red Bull might be an option, considering he already has an offer on the table, but Mercedes has yet to make a move. That being said, he can end up wherever he wants to for next year and he is waiting for the season to play out before he jumps into a team.

Which team do you think Carlos Sainz will end up with after this season ends? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.