“I think it’s depressing": Natalie Pinkham on the plight of Ferrari and the pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham feels sorry for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, highlighting the struggles Ferrari faces, putting their talent to no use.

Despite being the only team other than Red Bull to win a race during the 2023 F1 season, Ferrari could not make it to the runner-up spot in the championship. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been rather competitive so far, but the team could not provide them with a strong car.

Highlighting similar issues in Autosport Internation, F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham said it feels "depressing" to see the drivers' talent go to waste.

"I think it’s depressing, because you’ve got two great drivers there," PlanetF1 quoted her.

"I’d love to see Charles win a championship. I’d love to see him win more races, he’s put in that single-lap performance – I don’t think that’s in doubt."

She further stated that she had the chance to interview Carlos Sainz, where it was revealed that it had been hard for the team to sort out the unpredictable nature of the car.

"I remember feeling quite despondent when I was interviewing Carlos and saying, you know, ‘Do you have a better understanding of this car?’ And they just didn’t know why it worked in some places and not others."

Sainz took his second F1 victory in Singapore last season, which, as mentioned previously, was the only race to be won by a non-Red Bull car. This gave the team a strong push, and they are expected to carry this momentum forward into the upcoming season.

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Charles Leclerc extends contract with Ferrari ahead of the 2024 F1 season

Charles Leclerc, who has been racing for Ferrari since 2019, agreed to a multi-year contract extension and will be staying with the Italian outfit for the upcoming seasons.

This extension comes ahead of the 2024 F1 season. It was earlier reported that Charles Leclerc had agreed to a 5-year extension. While the exact length of his actual contract is not known so far, it is apparent that Ferrari is willing to race with him for a longer time.

Carlos Sainz's contract extension is not known so far. His current contract expires by the end of the upcoming F1 season. It was reported that he might be willing to move to Audi's Sauber in the future, but nothing else has been revealed.