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Charles Leclerc has been 'debunked' by Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in 2021, according to Dr. Helmut Marko. This was Sainz's debut season, while Leclerc was in his third season with the team.
Marko is a former Austrian F1 driver who is currently an advisor to Red Bull. He is also the person in charge of the Red Bull driver development program. Carlos Sainz is a product of the same program.
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Speaking in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Marko said he feels the Spaniard's performances in 2021 have dispelled the aura around Charles Leclerc at the Scuderia.
When asked about his Red Bull team's aspirations for 2022, Marko said:
“The declared goal is the World Championship title. (But) with such a big rule change you can never be sure.”
Marko then went on to add:
“Mercedes and we have the potential, the people and the continuity. That again speaks for a duel at the highest level. Especially as with (Lewis) Hamilton and (Max) Verstappen, no other driver is coming along. The closest to them is (Lando) Norris. (Charles) Leclerc was, so to speak, debunked by (Carlos) Sainz.”
Carlos Sainz started his F1 career with Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) before stints with Renault and McLaren. The Spaniard joined Ferrari to partner Charles Leclerc in 2021 after the departure of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
While many expected Sainz to play second fiddle to Leclerc, the Spaniard had a better season than his Monegasque team-mate. Sainz had four podium finishes to Leclerc's one. The 27-year-old finished his debut season with Ferrari in P5 in the drivers' championship standings, while Leclerc finished in P7.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz's 2022 Ferrari car to have 'significantly different' engine
Ferrari have confirmed they will deploy a 'significantly different' engine solution for the car Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will drive in 2022.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed the news during an interview with The Race. He said:
“Although the hybrid system is pretty much the same as what we were using at the end of 2021, the internal combustion engine, on the other hand, is significantly different.”
The 2022 F1 cars will have to use a new fuel, called E10, as part of regulatory changes set to arrive in March. The move is a result of the sport attempting to reduce its global carbon footprint in its quest for sustainability.
E10 contains 10% ethanol and can reportedly cause F1 cars to lose 20 hp. Ferrari plans to mitigate that loss of power with their new design. Binotto went on to say:
“That (the use of E10) has a lot of influence on the combustion in the engine. We have therefore changed quite a lot about this design.”
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are expected to test Ferrari's new 2022 car in Barcelona in February during their first pre-season testing session.
