After a horrifying 2020 season, 2021 has started promisingly for Scuderia Ferrari. Not only do their drivers regularly qualify in the top ten, but at the last Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz secured the team’s first podium this season, and Charles Leclerc even qualified on pole. The team look to be considerably strong than last year, and, Lawrence Barretto, a senior writer at F1.com, believes it’s because of their teammate dynamic.

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Sainz-Leclerc relationship key to Ferrari success: Barretto

In the buildup for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Barretto appeared as a guest on the “In the Fast Lane” podcast.

Teammate relationships are extremely important in F1, and Barretto believes that the dynamic between Sainz and Leclerc is what is driving the team forward this year. He feels that the two are drivers are committed to the common goal of taking Ferrari back to the top.

“They [Ferrari] have got two drivers who are, arguably, the two drivers we’re going to talk about the next 10 years. They seem harmonious, they seem to get on well together. They genuinely like each other.

“What I have heard is that they are quite good at working together behind the scenes, at the moment, at least. They are not hiding stuff from each other, and they get the bigger picture is – we need to get these guys, this team, back to the front,” said Barretto on the podcast.

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Mattia Binotto trusts his drivers

Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto, too, has faith in Leclerc and Sainz and hopes that they will score points for the team this year. With a much more reliable car and two capable drivers, the Italian outfit have all they need to become the Prancing Horse again.

Speaking after the season-opener Bahrain GP, where Leclerc and Sainz finished P6 and P8, respectively, Binotto said, “I’m really happy with the drivers, I’m happy to be able to count on both of them finally.”

“Knowing that we can count on both of them is really important. The most important thing is to be motivated to keep growing.

“Our opponents today are not Carlos for Charles and Charles for Carlos, but the cars ahead of us.”

So, with Sainz and Leclerc as the driver pairing, Ferrari seem to be flourishing. But the bigger question remains – if they build a championship-winning car next season, will the relationship stay the same?