Carlos Sainz has spoken out in the belief that people are happier when his team-mate, Charles Leclerc claims victory.
The somewhat odd comments were quoted by the Turkish version of Motorsport.com on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, which is taking place this weekend for the first time since 2019.
The Spaniard has only claimed one victory in his Formula 1 career, and that was at this season’s British Grand Prix.
His performances this season have been somewhat underwhelming at times, with Leclerc having been arguably the superior Ferrari driver this season.
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Leclerc sits second in the Drivers’ Championship and has been in a title fight with Max Verstappen at times this season, whereas Sainz, who is fifth in the standings, hasn’t featured in the title fight at all this season.
The Spanish driver has been spoken about by Ferrari hierarchy recently, including, Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
Elkann was quoted as saying that Leclerc is the leader of the team, even though, team principal Mattia Binotto has insisted all season that both drivers are equals.
Calls have come throughout the year for the Maranello-based team to prioritise a driver in pursuit of a title bid; however, Binotto has never implemented such a system.
Perhaps the comments by Elkann are the reasoning behind Sainz’s comment, who is clearly disgruntled by something.
“People aren’t happy when I win, they want Leclerc to take all the wins,” Sainz said.
The Singapore GP could be a chance for Sainz to add to his sole F1 victory, with the Spanish driver starting fourth for the most challenging race of the season.
He has looked good all weekend, with Ferrari’s package clearly working around the 23 corners of the Marina Bay Circuit.
There is further evidence of this due to the fact that Leclerc starts on pole, whereas championship leader Max Verstappen starts eighth.
Sainz really will be looking for a strong race, with a view to leapfrogging George Russell and Sergio Pérez in the Drivers’ Championship.
Should Sainz fail to beat the two in the standings, then questions may begin to be asked about whether the 28-year-old is the right person to partner Leclerc.
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The Ferrari driver is contracted with the team until the end of 2024; however, you’d like to think he won’t want to feel the way he does for the next two years.
There is no doubting the Spaniard’s talent and speed, which he has demonstrated this season on multiple occasions.
He excellently calved his way from P18 to fourth at the recent Italian Grand Prix, where he would’ve without a doubt had been in contention for victory had he not taken a grid penalty for a new power unit.