That ongoing scrutiny is fuelled by regular questions, but Leclerc has been relatively firm in his stance that he’s in no rush to start discussions because he’s set on staying put and achieving success with Ferrari. It’s partly a topic driven by questions that need fielding, but it’s also because Leclerc still carries the air of a driver who could deliver a title if given the right car.
And that’s what makes the atmosphere around Sainz so intriguing.
When asked about the Spaniard’s future two weeks ago, the words chosen by Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur to respond just created a little bit of doubt around his long-term position.
“I think that with Carlos we are fully aligned, we had the same question hundreds of times and we always gave the same reply,” Vasseur said. “We have time to discuss, we still have 18 months of contract in front of us.
“We both want to start the next season with a clear situation, that means we have to take action and a decision before the end of this season, and we still have four or five months in front of us to decide. But we are fully, fully aligned on this point with Carlos and his management and we will have the discussion soon.”
Leclerc and Sainz both have contracts ending in 2024 — but only Sainz has a deadline of this year to resolve his future
While those comments suggest it’s a situation that both sides are happy with at the moment, it also puts a deadline on discussions that has not been imposed when it comes to Leclerc. And at no point did Vasseur say the plan is to keep Sainz, only that a decision before the end of the season is desired.
If that was a hint that Ferrari is not fully convinced about keeping him, then Sainz’s performance this past weekend was perfectly timed.
It’s his first podium of the season, and came in a race weekend where he was simply the quicker of the two Ferrari drivers. Not by much in the end, it must be said, but Sainz got to grips with the low downforce configuration more quickly and was able to find that little bit more in terms of time, even if Leclerc’s ability to stay within DRS range and not have to defend from Verstappen and Perez in the same way left him a threat in the closing laps.
The way the final part of the race was handled was absolutely perfect from a neutral’s point of view, with the two Ferrari drivers allowed to scrap it out for that final podium spot right up to the chequered flag. It provided drama, excitement and tough racing when it would have been far easier for Vasseur and the team to call off the fight much earlier.
No team orders in sight as Sainz and Leclerc get stuck in
Ferrari
The fact that they didn’t clearly helped Leclerc more than Sainz, and the latter did deliver a message over team radio when he said: “Guys, let’s bring this home”.
Not that fans would have preferred the fight to be called off, but you do wonder if a different call would have been made had the positions been reversed and it was Leclerc coming under attack from Sainz with a home podium on the line.
It just adds to the impression that Sainz doesn’t quite have the certainty of a Ferrari future – if he wants it – in the same way that Leclerc does. The Monégasque may well hit higher highs, as his three podiums to Sainz’s one this year would suggest, but that has been offset by the consistency with which the latter scores.
