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Carlos Sainz will be in his third season with Ferrari in 2023. The Spaniard has been a valuable addition to the Italian squad in the last two years. He outscored Charles Leclerc in his first season with Ferrari and in his second season, he was able to score his first win and first pole position.
After debuting in F1 with Max Verstappen as his teammate, Sainz has come a long way as he finds himself driving for the most successful team in F1 history. Heading into 2023 however, the stakes are higher than they have ever been.
Ferrari is aiming to put together a much better championship challenge than what it did last season. For Carlos Sainz, looking ahead to the 2023 F1 season, he cannot afford to lose to Charles Leclerc.
Let's look at the three most prominent reasons why Sainz has to get the better of Leclerc this season.
#1 Ferrari is aiming to be a consistent frontrunner
Ferrari is not a midfield team anymore and it aims not to be one again. The team is looking to fight for titles and the Ferrari CEO seems determined enough in his recent statements.
However, in terms of driver dynamics, while there is some laxity that midfield teams employ to give both drivers similar opportunity, it's all about optimization when fighting for the title.
Unless the two drivers in the team are equally matched, teams have a preference and that preference becomes the lead driver. At Ferrari, both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have outscored each other once. There is, however, a consensus amongst the paddock that Leclerc holds the edge over his teammate.
There is a very high likelihood that a Championship battle could be on the cards this year. If Sainz starts falling back as compared to his teammate, Leclerc will become the lead driver.
What that also means is an end to Carlos Sainz's hopes of fighting for the title. Also, as a team challenging for the title, everything needs to be aligned in favor of the lead driver. Red Bull always has that with Max Verstappen as Sergio Perez plays his part in the background.
If he falls back, Sainz will have to slot in and be the supporting cast for Leclerc whenever needed. As a driver that aims to win the title one day, this is certainly not what Sainz will be looking forward to.
#2 Carlos Sainz got overshadowed by Charles Leclerc last season
If there was one thing that appeared to be true last season, it was how quickly Charles Leclerc adapted to the new car and took it to places that Carlos Sainz could not.
In the first half of the season, the gap between the two drivers was quite pronounced as Leclerc led the charge for Ferrari against Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Sainz, on the other hand, was just not comfortable with the car and it took him some time to get used to its demands.
What was evident, however, in the last two seasons was that if Ferrari was going to challenge the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes, they need talent like Leclerc. These are elite talents and to battle with them, you need to have that special talent as well.
This season, if Charles Leclerc establishes a lead early on, Carlos Sainz will not be able to keep up. More importantly, he won't have enough time to catch up either as soon, the team will shift focus toward the title fight that could feature elite talents.
Sainz needs to place himself in a strong position and he needs to do it early because if that doesn't happen, he will be forced to settle himself in a No. 2 role.
#3 The No. 2 driver at Ferrari is the worst possible fate for the Spaniard
Finally, the main reason why Carlos Sainz might need to be extra diligent this season is that Mattia Binotto is not there anymore. He has been replaced by Fred Vasseur, a man that is notorious for efficiency within the team.
Vasseur won't take long to take a call early if he feels that is the right one for the team. These calls include assigning roles for his respective drivers early in the season as the pecking order gets established between the two.
This will be the worst possible situation for Sainz because Ferrari is just not the team where one can have a fruitful career as a No. 2 driver. Just ask the likes of Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello who were just turned into test dummies as the entire team was devoted to the lead driver.
For a proud and ambitious driver like Sainz, that can't be an option. It would ultimately mean that the driver might have to take a call on what he wants to do in the future. It's just not a situation that Sainz will want to find himself in and that is why the Spaniard will be desperate to beat Leclerc this season.
