It is no secret that Ferrari hope their return to the top is with Charles Leclerc at the helm of their leading car, they don’t exactly try to hide it. This has been expressed many times, with Leclerc signing for the team for 2019 after just a single season in Formula 1 with Alfa Romeo Sauber, before being awarded with the longest contract in Ferrari’s history.
People chuck the world ‘Golden Boy’ around a lot in F1, which is basically when a team is confident enough to put their faith in one of their own at a younger age. The likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen come to mind in recent years. Leclerc’s is Ferrari’s.
That fact could mean that being a teammate to Leclerc in Ferrari can be an intimidating task, but it seems that Carlos Sainz is more then ready for that challenge.
Mattia Binotto, the Team Principal, believes that their team are “fully convinced” that Leclerc will be the driver to launch their next title charge. And, in fairness, who can blame them for thinking that?
Although some won’t be a fan of the exclusion of Sainz in that sentence, Leclerc has always been their future and the Monegasque knows that. The Ferrari driver seems to have this appeal with the fans, more specifically the Tifosi, and has drawn similarities to Gilles Villeneuve – who is arguably the best entertainer there’s ever been in Formula 1 even if he was not meaning to.
Being compared to the likes of Villeneuve is an honour for a driver, especially if one is a Ferrari driver. Villeneuve was Enzo Ferrari’s prized possession, and the French-Canadian was the adopted son to the Tifosi.
Villeneuve was a racer. If he could race it and drive it to the limit, he would. His style of driving is what captured the attention of the ones watching. You never knew if he would be coming round the next corner facing the right way. If he managed to, the rear end would be trying to overtake the front end, in his usual style. Of course, there were plenty of times Villeneuve ended up backwards or in the wall but that was the fun in watching him. He was not always gifted machinery that was capable, but that did not stop him from pushing it to the limit.
The 1980 season for the most famous team in F1 was eerily similar to the 2020 campaign.
Leclerc has also not been gifted when it comes to machinery in the last couple of years. Despite securing three wins in his debut season for Ferrari in 2019, the car really was not all that, and it was only for the their illegal boost mid-season that gave them those wins, before they got secretly punished. Then came 2020, which was a disaster despite a couple podiums.
Now we have 2021, which is seeing the Ferrari team recovering from an awful year in the right way. Leclerc has pushed to his limits since he was welcomed into the Ferrari team, but has had to push beyond that in the last two seasons which arguably has brought the best out of him.
The camera can follow Leclerc heading into the next corner, and nobody knows if his car will exit with all four wheels intact, citing the Villeneuve comparisons. He’s fast, and sideways through most corners and that alone brings in such popularity. His car control is up there with the very best, along with his intention to entertain.
And, as Sainz has recently stated, the number 16 is one of the best qualifiers on the grid in the dry. Having the most pole positions in 2019 was impressive, but his two pole position winning laps so far in 2021, being in Monaco and Baku, tops the list.
The SF21 did suit street circuits in 2021, but the laps still had to be set in order to top the all dominant Red Bull and Mercedes. Although, especially in Monaco, the Red Bull’s were more of a problem. Sadly, his crash at the swimming pool section on his final Q3 lap which introduced the session to an early end kind of diminished his initial lap, but sod that. It happens at Monaco.
Ferrari should not be afraid to call Leclerc their future. And, thankfully they are not. A bump in the road however could be the immense speed that comes with Sainz. With the short amount of time it took the Spaniard to match Leclerc, the team have to be careful.
They cannot throw Sainz to the wolves just because Leclerc is their man. If they play their cards right, they can have two title antagonists.
Questions however can be asked about certain things. Due to the fact Leclerc has had to push like hell in recent seasons, and has been willing to risk it all, can he just smoothly transition to fighting at the front again?
Answer – Look at the 2021 British Grand Prix, yes he can.
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