Ever since Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto's departure, there have been talks of Charles Leclerc becoming the #1 driver for Ferrari in the 2023 season under the leadership of a new team principal.
Motorsport Italy has, however, reported that Leclerc does not want to be the #1 driver in the team, rather wanting to start the season on equal terms. Instead, he feels the need to prioritize a single driver later in the season to make fewer mistakes in contrast to the 2022 season.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been teammates since the Spaniard joined the team in 2021. Both have been treated equally, as the team did not choose a #1 driver. Although Sainz was seen helping his teammate in events like qualifying for the 2022 F1 French GP, it was purely due to the obvious lead Leclerc had in the standings.
Leclerc, however, has been in talks about being the #1 driver from the upcoming season courtesy of his performance advantage against Sainz but has been avoiding that position. He still believes that the team should channel their efforts towards a single driver in a few races throughout the length of the season so that the team is more focused and doesn't make errors.
Carlos Sainz reportedly offered to help Charles Leclerc multiple times in the season
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc share a healthy relationship as teammates, and it has been reported that the Spaniard agreed to help his teammate multiple times this season. Due to Ferrari's strategic mistakes, however, it became almost impossible for him to be of any help to Leclerc. The team subsequently incurred a huge loss in their battle against Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Leclerc even had the opportunity to fight for the championship this season, but multiple errors from the Scuderia in terms of strategy and reliability took it out of his hands. The Monegasque ended the season by finishing P2 while battling Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez.
The pressure from the team forced team principal Mattia Binotto to resign from the team. He has been in the role since 2019, but his association with the Prancing Horse goes back 28 years. One of the finest engineers on the grid, the Italian has seen the team throughout its success. With him not being in the team anymore, however, it will be interesting to see how the team catches up and develops for the upcoming season.