"Faster, of course" - Carlos Sainz's quip on comparison with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen

Carlos Sainz has said he is quicker than both Max Verstappen and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

When asked to compare himself with his two long-time rivals, the Spaniard jokingly quipped that he was faster than either of them. The Ferrari driver told Motorsport Italia ahead of the Imola GP:

"Faster, of course."

When asked about the differences between the two drivers, Sainz said:

“There are differences, both in terms of driving style and on the technical one. But in the end, when it comes to very good drivers, there are also many common characteristics.”

Carlos Sainz has had the chance to observe both Charles LecIerc and Max Verstappen from up close. He has raced with both drivers on the same team at different times.

Sainz partnered with Verstappen at Toro Rosso between 2015 and mid-2016, while he has been racing alongside Leclerc at Ferrari since early 2021.

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Carlos Sainz “wasn’t amazed” by Charles Leclerc’s performances in 2022

Carlos Sainz said he wasn’t particularly amazed by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc’s dominating performances this season, even as the Monegasque built himself a solid lead in the world championship.

Sainz explained that he already realized how impressive Leclerc could be during their first year together with the team. Speaking to Motorsport Italia, he said:

“No, I got to see how fast he is already last year. The novelty in this beginning of 2022 is the change in driving style that the new single-seater requires, there are machines that you adapt to quickly and naturally because they fit well with your driving style, as happened in my case last year.”

Ferrari’s 2022 challenger seems to require a vastly different approach in driving style compared to the team’s previous car.

As Sainz pointed out, Leclerc seems to have mastered it from the get-go, while he is having to work extra hard each weekend to get himself comfortable with the car.

Sainz showed time and again last season that he can be just as quick as Leclerc if he gets comfortable with the car.

Sainz's season started slow last year. However, his ruthless consistency meant that he managed to overhaul the Monegasque in the final driver’s classification to clinch P5 for the first time in his career.