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Ferrari might not have realised it at the start of the 2022 F1 season, but this year is their litmus test. The Italian team has been a part of the sport since its inception, but with the way the F1 ecosystem is set up, the team is at a critical juncture.
Ferrari started the season with a 1-2 finish and won two of the next three races, but things have been all downhill from there. There have been multiple reliability issues plaguing the team. There have been instances of low to poor race IQ. Most importantly, Ferrari have an unenviable task of defending second place against Mercedes rather than challenge Red Bull at the front.
The Scuderia outfit have the car to fight for the title. There's no doubt about that, but the team needs to understand that the two drivers in the team are probably their last hope of a championship triumph for a while.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz - the perfect driver pair for Ferrari?
Ferrari do not lack in terms of resources but lacks in its ability to use them judiciously. In Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the team has two very strong drivers. Leclerc has romped his way through the junior categories to reach F1.
His F2 and GP3 championship campaigns were as dominant as it could get. When he reached F1, he impressed the Scuderia outfit so much, that Leclerc was a Ferrari driver in just his second year with the team. In terms of top-tier talents, Leclerc is as good as anyone on the F1 grid.
Sainz, meanwhile, has made his way through the ranks the hard way. He debuted with Torro Rosso before making his way through Renault and McLaren before eventually finding himself at Ferrari.
When it comes to perfect foils, Leclerc and Sainz are as close at it gets to being one. Unfortunately, Ferrari's endeavour to give the two drivers equal opportunity has landed the team in deep trouble, which was evident in the British GP.
Considering the dire situation Ferrari find itself in right now, they need to make some tough decisions. They need to set up the dynamics to provide preferential treatment to Leclerc. Let's find out why.
Case for Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc's wingman
Before we proceed, let's get one thing out of the way: Charles Leclerc has clearly been the better of the two Ferrari drivers. Except Monaco, Canada and France, Leclerc has been the better than his teammate this season.
Click here for the comparison of the two drivers.
Sure there have been DNFs and mishaps and even accidents for Leclerc, allowing Sainz to close the gap to him. Nevertheless, in terms of performance, Leclerc has clearly been the better of the two.
Sainz has recovered from his early season slump and is driving at a good level now. If that continues to be the case, the Spaniard could play the role Sergio Perez did last season and could do it as good as the Mexican did against Lewis Hamilton last season.
The '#2 driver' tag is something that often gets frowned on, but if you look at it from a team's perspective, the tactic does help win championships. The way Perez defended against Hamilton in Turkey or in Abu Dhabi last season cost the former valuable points, which proved pivotal at the end of the season.
For Ferrari, Leclerc putting forth a championship challenge from a 63-point deficit appears tough. However, out of the two Ferrari drivers, if anyone can do it, it's Leclerc, as Sainz trails his teammate by 26 points.
If Ferrari fail again, that'll be 15 years of failure
If the team fails to win the title this season, rest assured it'll not be because of the drivers but the team itself. A loss this season would extend their title drought to 15 years, and it'll not be because of their drivers messing things up.
The team has had Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc over the years. Ferrari have had competitive seasons in 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2022 but have no championship win to show for their efforts.
To exacerbate matters, Alonso came to Ferrari with dreams of a bright career in front of him. Those hopes, though, receded quickly and so did his aspirations of a title win.
A similar fate has befallen Sebastian Vettel as well, as he finds himself in an underperforming Aston Martin after his stint with Ferrari. For Leclerc, he is seeing his first title bid blow up in smoke as F1 pundits question his driving abilities.
After considering the fate of talents like Leclerc, Vettel and Alonso at Ferrari, a failed driver relationship between Leclerc and Sainz will make any top driver think twice about joining the Italian team.
Will a Lando Norris be willing to invest years of his career at a team that has had virtually disastrous partnerships with two mulitple world champions? Will a George Russell be willing to do that or Max Verstappen? Will the Dutchman be willing to leave the Red Bull juggernaut and join a dysfunctional mess in Ferrari?
This year, the team has the car and the drivers. That ticks two of the most important boxes if you have to win the championship in F1. The Italian giants need to wake up and smell the coffee. The team might face a blow it would not be able to recover from for a while if it fails to win the championship again.
