Ferrari’s lineup for the upcoming Formula 1 season is undergoing a significant change as Carlos Sainz prepares to bid farewell to the team, making way for the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, who joins after a lengthy tenure at Mercedes.
The decision of Ferrari to favor Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz has sparked some debate within the racing community. Concerns have been raised about this choice, particularly if Sainz manages to secure a victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.
Despite being the sole non-Red Bull victor in 2023, Carlos Sainz will be parting ways with the Italian outfit at the conclusion of this season. Nevertheless, he has commenced the current F1 campaign in impressive fashion.
Despite missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, Sainz is closely trailing his teammate Leclerc by a margin of just 15 points.
While Leclerc has outperformed Sainz in the previous two races, the 29-year-old Spaniard has already clinched the team’s sole victory this season at the Australian Grand Prix.
This achievement has led some, like F1 and Formula E journalist Nick Golding, to believe that Sainz could replicate this success once more at Imola.
“I’m going Carlos Sainz victory,” remarked Golding boldly when discussing his expectations for the Imola race weekend.
“On a weekend when Ferrari sweep back into Italy… Carlos is going to go hell for leather and say: ‘you know what guys, this is why you should have kept me.'”
The speculation surrounding Ferrari’s decision to prioritize Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz has sparked discussions among Formula 1 journalists.
Samuel Coop raised an intriguing question about when Ferrari fans might start questioning if they retained the right driver, suggesting a potential tipping point in fan sentiment.
Despite recent events tilting the scales slightly in Leclerc’s favor, there remains a lingering possibility that a Sainz victory could reignite the debate on whether Ferrari made the correct choice, especially with Lewis Hamilton poised to join the team.
Samuel Coop reflected on this possibility, stating, “You’ve got to start wondering at what stage. If Carlos does manage to pull off a victory, let’s say this weekend [at Imola], then without a shadow of a doubt, it’s going to be questioned. Straight away, after that.”
Adding a touch of humor to the discussion, Coop jokingly remarked, “We’re going to be questioning it on this podcast next Monday, no doubt, if that’s the case, if Carlos does go and win.”
Parkes further alluded to remarks made by Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, who emphasized that recruiting Hamilton was an unequivocal decision, considering the track record of the seven-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion, even if it entailed parting ways with Sainz in the process.
“I gave you some comments from my interview with Fred, as to why he chose Lewis over Carlos. He said it was a difficult conversation that he had to have with Carlos,”Parkes said.
“He ultimately believed that the right decision has been made, and for the long-term future of the team, that Charles [Leclerc] remains the better bet than Carlos. Of course, he’s going to stick by his guns.
“If Carlos does win again, we can ask him the same question on Sunday evening in Imola: ‘have you made the right decision?’ and we’ll get our answer from him. Of course he’s going to say: yes he made the right decision. He’s not going to turn around and say ‘no’, why would he?
“But of course, I think then, it’s really going to start becoming a serious subject of debate” in Italy…
“If Carlos goes and wins, the fans are gonna be saying: ‘why him, why have we let him go, why have we retained Charles? Because he’s the guy that’s won us, not only the last two grand Prix, could be three grand Prix if he goes and wins in Imola.”
