Formula 1 – Ferrari first: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz must “lead the team”

Ferrari first: This is the most important message from drivers Charles Leclerc (Monaco) and Carlos Sainz (Spain) four weeks before the start of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain. “Ferrari is bigger than any one name,” said team leader Mattia Binotto at a virtual press conference on Friday. “Charles and Carlos should do their best, but Ferrari’s success must come first.” Leclerc (23) and Sainz (26) are the youngest drivers to meet in Ferrari since Chris Amon (New Zealand / 25) and Jackie Ecks (Belgium / 23) in 1968.

For Leclerc, who is in his third season with Ferrari, and Sainz, who is replacing Sebastian Vettel who has emigrated to Aston Martin, absolute discipline is being applied on the track, Binotto explained: “You have to lead for the team we want to win. We need points from both of them. “. Leclerc and Sainz confirmed that they understood this announcement. “Carlos wants to hit me, I want to beat him, but we have to watch what is best for Ferrari in all situations,” said Leclerc.

It’s unlikely Ferrari will be able to take on world champion Mercedes in their fight for this year’s constructors’ title, Benuto knows that too. The 51-year-old said, “The gap last year was very large. It’s very difficult to close it in just one winter.” He’s sure he has a better car than it did in 2020, but: “We’ll only know how good it really is when we have a comparison with the other teams.” This will be the case for the first time during the test drive in Bahrain from March 12-14, as the first race of the season will also take place on March 28.