Charles Leclerc was arguably the most underrated driver of the 2021 season. The Monegasque native finished the 2021 season in P7 just 5 points behind his teammate Carlos Sainz. Leclerc mentioned it did hurt him to lose to his teammate in the championship, despite having a good season.

Charles out-qualified and outscored his teammate on numerous occasions last season. But in his first season with Ferrari, Sainz was the more consistent driver as he notched up 4 podiums; the Ferrari driver reflected on his 2021 season and what makes his teammate so good in Formula One.

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It hurts for every driver, I would lie if I say it doesn’t: Charles Leclerc

As reported by Motorsportweek, Charles mentioned he was satisfied with his 2021 season but admitted to making some crucial mistakes. He also revealed the difference between him and his teammate while analyzing the previous season.

“Of course, it hurts. It hurts for every driver. I would lie if I say it doesn’t. As soon as you finish behind your teammate, whether it’s in the championship or in one race, it always hurts. You always want to beat your teammate,” said Charles.

“At the same time, was I satisfied with my 2021 season? Yes, I was, but there were also opportunities that I lost. Sometimes by not being lucky, some others because of myself, just wanting too much, and I’m learning from it.

“I think one of the big strengths of Carlos is being there all the time and in every race. He’s always there, always, always there. Myself, I can sometimes be too optimistic and last year this happened a few times, and it cost me some points, so in the end, I paid the price, but I learned the lesson,” said Leclerc.

The Ferrari driver would like to get one back on his teammate Carlos Sainz in the upcoming season.

Ferrari and Leclerc are the pre-season favorites to take the championship in the 2022 season. Leclerc has proven time and again that if he gets the car, he can take the fight to the best of the drivers on the grid and quite possibly come out on top.

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