"It’s kind of like banging your head against the wall"- Carlos Sainz 'pleading' for equality among drivers at Ferrari a 'passport for defeat,' says F1 journalist

F1 journalist Daniel Ortelli has claimed that Carlos Sainz “pleading for equality” among drivers within Ferrari is a “passport for the team’s defeat”.

Ortelli believes that the Scuderia must prioritize Charles Leclerc given that the Monegasque has a higher chance of being able to fight for the title compared to Sainz. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast following the 2022 F1 French GP, Ortelli said:

“Carlos was saying on Friday or Saturday ‘I’m not ready to be the No 2, I’ve shown over and over I have the rhythm, that I’m good’. And we more or less know it’s a passport for defeat at the end of the season because it’s been like that before. So, it’s kind of like banging your head against the wall at Ferrari.”

Ferrari have so far avoided prioritizing either one of their drivers this season, despite numerous calls to do so, instead choosing to allow both drivers to fight for positions. This approach has hurt the team’s championship chances by taking away potential points from Charles Leclerc, despite the Monegasque having outperformed Carlos Sainz throughout the season.

While Sainz’s form has improved dramatically in the last few races, his performances from earlier this season have been underwhelming. And given those performances, Ortelli believes the Spaniard shouldn’t be calling for equal treatment, given his chances of winning the title are effectively over. Ortelli added, saying:

“He seems to forget the beginning of his season, but that’s good for him. It makes sense that he doesn’t talk about it.”

“Now he says, ‘I’m right up at the top’ and again after the race on Sunday he said ‘I made a mistake last time, Charles makes a mistake this time, we are pushing so hard that we are making mistakes’. So, he’s really pleading for having those two drivers on equal terms.”

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Carlos Sainz should have defied Ferrari at France to secure podium finish

Former F1 driver-turned-TV pundit Jolyon Palmer believes that Carlos Sainz would have had a much better chance of being able to take a podium finish at the 2022 F1 French GP had it not been for the Ferrari pit wall’s indecisiveness.

Palmer believes that Sainz should have overridden the team's call for him to pit for fresh tires late in the race and instead stayed out on his old mediums until the end. In his column for F1.com, Palmer wrote:

“The decision to box Carlos [Sainz] on the next lap didn’t make sense to me, given he had just gained the crucial track position. It’s always difficult for a driver to override the orders from the team, because you know they have all the information available to them.”

“But Sainz has already overridden calls correctly and got himself into victory-contending positions in Monaco and Silverstone (where he finally brought the win home). As far as I’m concerned, he should have done it again in France.”

Palmer believes that the medium tires could have easily lasted until the end, as evidenced by Carlos Sainz’s pace immediately before pitting. Furthermore, Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly was also forced to do a long second stint on medium tires, but unlike Sainz, Gasly managed to finish the race on those tires, and even managed to gain time on cars around him during the final few laps.