"It raises the motivation of the drivers" - Former Ferrari driver says F1 team boss' statements 'are common in this situation'

Ferrari has made a strong start to the 2022 F1 season. The team is one of the frontrunners at the moment and is leading both the championships. The second Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, however, is having a tough time this season. The Spaniard, who was given a 2-year extension on his current contract by the team this season, has not had either pace or luck on his side.

He has been the slower Ferrari driver in every race this season and to add to that, has had DNFs in 2 of the 4 races so far. Concurrently though, team boss Mattia Binotto has been very supportive of Sainz, especially since the Spaniard was the top driver for the team last season. According to former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger, this is common practice by the team boss as he tries to raise the motivation of his driver. Berger said:

“These are statements that are common in this situation, no matter what you think. It raises the motivation of the drivers. And since the second one (Carlos Sainz) has also been signed up for longer you have to underline that, of course.”

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Sainz could prove to be a problem for Ferrari

Carlos Sainz beat Charles Leclerc in the standings last season and was the best-placed driver for the team. He has, however, not joined the team as a support driver for Leclerc, with even Mattia Binotto claiming that the team will not favor one driver over the other. Having said that, there seems to be a clear hierarchy in play at rivals Red Bull.

Max Verstappen is the lead driver while Sergio Perez is the supporting cast. Because of this, while Perez has improved this season, he will not be taking points off his teammate at any point this season. According to Berger, these dynamics could work against the Italian team. The Austrian said:

“[Sergio] Pérez has really improved enormously, also as a team player. He knows his situation very well, unlike [Carlos] Sainz. Sainz still has ambitions, wants to fight for the number one spot inside the team. But it’s not working out for him, although he couldn’t help it. The Italian team could have a problem with that. Sainz will not be ready to be number two.”

Sainz, meanwhile, has been on the backfoot this season and is already 48 points behind his teammate. Unless he mounts a comeback soon enough, he will be looking at a scenario where being the supporting cast for Leclerc is the best thing to do for the team.