"The pecking order at Ferrari is already established" - Former F1 driver says Carlos Sainz 'correspondingly angry' with his role in the team

Ralf Schumacher believes the pecking order at Ferrari is more or less established where Carlos Sainz might not be a priority. The German believes the set pecking order is what is making the Spanish driver respond hastily.

Speaking to F1 Insider, the former F1 driver said:

“The pecking order at Ferrari is already established. Carlos Sainz knows that too and is correspondingly angry.”

Knowing the internal Ferrari tactics since his brother Michael Schumacher’s time at Ferrari, Ralf believes the team decided earlier in the season which driver to support as #1. The Sky Sports Germany TV pundit feels Carlos Sainz has been angrily responding on track to the new order in the team.

Narrating an instance from his brother’s time, the younger Schumacher said:

“There was a time when someone [brother, Michael] was very successful and it was also the case that you knew relatively early on which driver you were concentrating on.”

With one DNF in three races so far, there is not much the Spanish driver has to negotiate. Although both Ferrari drivers have been close in their performances, the Spaniard has only last year’s performance on his resume to negotiate with, after a slow start to his 2022 campaign.

Meanwhile, F1 Insider had reported that the 27-year-old driver was at odds with his team over his new contract, which is due to be signed any time now. The Spanish driver was reported to have wanted a two-year deal while Ferrari were ready to offer him only a one-year extension to his existing contract, which expires at the end of the 2022 season. The Spaniard, however, eventually managed to sign a two-year deal as per his terms.

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Ferrari claims they do not have a pecking order at their team between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc

Despite Ralf Schumacher’s theory that there is already a pecking order in the team, Mattia Binotto has revealed that their drivers are free to race and fight others for the championship. With Charles Leclerc leading his teammate Carlos Sainz in the championship by 38 points, however, it is going to be difficult to keep the Spanish driver a priority if he does not bounce back in his performances.

Speaking during the Australian GP weekend, Binotto said:

“It’s only three races which have been done now. There are still 20 races left, hopefully 19 or 20. So the championship is still very long. Our drivers are free to fight, and I am really looking forward and enjoying that they are battling for a good place, and first place, if possible.”

While it remains unclear whether Leclerc will be a priority for the team, Jolyon Palmer empathized with the Spanish driver and believes he’s been undeserving of the second driver role that he is succumbing to. Carlos Sainz outperformed his Monegasque teammate in the 2021 season and his 2022 season performance hasn’t been far off. With many drivers replete with the potential to compete with Leclerc, it will be difficult for the Maranello team to give both drivers equal status.