"They must not do what Williams did with Mansell and Piquet"- High time for Ferrari to decide a 'lead driver' out of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, says former team engineer

Former F1 engineer Enrique Scalabroni believes it is high time for Ferrari to designate a “lead driver” among its driver line-up of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The 72-year-old thinks this is crucial if the team is to maximize its potential in the championship battle against Red Bull and Max Verstappen.

Scalabroni had a career that spanned nearly 15 years, in which he worked for many successful F1 teams during the 90s. He felt that the Scuderia should avoid a situation where Williams found themselves in the mid-to-late eighties when they allowed both Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet to fight for the title; only for McLaren’s Alain Prost to clinch the title for himself.

Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, the Italian said:

“At this level, where they have many points to recover from [Max] Verstappen and Red Bull, Ferrari must find a system where there is a first driver and a support driver; [together] they must work for the triumph of the team.”

“It doesn’t matter if your name is Leclerc or Sainz. If the Scuderia wants to win, they must not do what Williams did with [Nigel] Mansell and [Nelson] Piquet.”

Since Carlos Sainz joined Ferrari at the start of the 2021 season, the Scuderia has insisted on providing equal treatment to both its drivers. While this approach certainly helped the team maximize their potential last year against McLaren by creating a healthy intra-team rivalry, it may not prove to be a good strategy against Red Bull in this year's battle for the championship.

It's no secret that Max Verstappen is the clear team leader at Milton Keynes, even though Sergio Perez has often outpaced his world championship teammate. Unlike Ferrari, Red Bull tend to use all their might during races solely at maximizing Verstappen’s points haul.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s approach has cost the team valuable points this season. At Silverstone, the team refused to intervene in favor of Leclerc, despite the Monegasque’s superior race pace. It ultimately cost the team a chance at a potential 1-2 result.

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Ferrari needs to prioritize a driver based on his points haul, says former F1 engineer

Enrique Scalabroni believes that Ferrari should immediately prioritize the driver that has scored more points for the team so far this season, while ensuring that the other driver plays a supporting role.

Since the season is almost at the halfway stage, Scalabroni believes that choosing a consistent scorer would be the optimum strategy for the Scuderia. Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, he said:

“The fundamental thing is to be in favour of the team and the main point for me is: which driver has the most points in the middle of the championship?”

“This was established not by Ferrari, but by the conditions of the race, of the breaks etc. Then with regard to the image and commercial part, the team has to decide. They must focus on a driver who has more points and who has had fewer problems.”

Despite being overhauled by Carlos Sainz last season, Charles Leclerc has easily outpaced the former this season. If not for unreliability and some questionable strategic choices by the Scuderia, the Monegasque would probably still be the championship leader.