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Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone claims some Ferrari team members were surprised Carlos Sainz beat Charles Leclerc in the 2021 F1 season. Sainz bested his teammate in the drivers' championship by placing fifth in his debut season for the Italian team.
Carlos Sainz had an excellent debut season at Ferrari after two years with McLaren. Former 'F1-Supremo' Ecclestone claims Sainz's performance has surprised some members within the Maranello-based team. He said:
“Let’s put it this way – many people in Maranello are surprised that the Spaniard [Carlos Sainz] could give team-mate Charles Leclerc such a run for his money in 2021. For me, Leclerc was always a very good driver, but not anything more.”
Although Leclerc often out-qualified and finished ahead of Sainz in races, the Spaniard was more consistent over the season and did not suffer a single DNF.
Sainz finished the season with four podiums, with his most recent one being at the chaotic season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Carlos Sainz nearly missed out on final podium amidst Abu Dhabi chaos
The 2021 season ended with a bang as Max Verstappen narrowly clinched his first-ever title in the sport from Lewis Hamilton after a late safety car incident. Amid the chaos, Carlos Sainz found his way to the third step of the podium but remained completely out of the limelight.
The Spaniard, however, claims the controversial race restart nearly caused him to lose out on his fourth and last podium of the year. He described the situation as very strange, saying:
“It was certainly a very strange situation for me because I was battling for a podium with Valtteri and some Alpha Tauri’s behind with medium tires while I was on a very used hard. At the beginning, I was told that they were not going to be allowed to un-lap themselves, the people in front of me. And then it was decided to un-lap themselves. And some people un-lapped themselves, but there were still an Aston Martin and the McLaren of Ricciardo between the two leaders and myself.”
Carlos Sainz's contract with Ferrari is till the end of the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has confirmed that the team will discuss future options with the Spaniard.
