Even before the 2024 F1 season started, Ferrari said they trusted Charles Leclerc and not Carlos Sainz to bring the championship glory back to the Prancing Horse. They gave the Monegasque driver another multi-year extension while letting go of the Spaniard in favor of Lewis Hamilton simultaneously. However, Sainz started the season on a high as he had a point to prove to save his career.

And he has done that exactly by beating Leclerc in the first four races of the season (except the Saudi Arabian GP), including a race win in Australia. According to Peter Windsor, the former Ferrari boss, this has put Charles Leclerc under pressure, as he doesn’t want to get beaten by a driver who is on his way out, especially when Ferrari has chosen him to lead them to victories.

The decline in Leclerc’s qualifying performance is evident, especially considering his reputation as one of the best, if not the best, qualifiers in Formula 1 currently. Leclerc himself admitted that he could not perform to the best of his abilities so far in the season.

In the recent Live Chat on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor explained what might be going in the head of Charles Leclerc. He explained, “You know, he’s [Charles Leclerc] the Chosen One [at Ferrari], Lewis [Hamilton] is joining [next season]. In his mind, he doesn’t think Lewis is going to be a major challenge. He might win the odd race or two, but if the car is a race-winning car, Charles believes obviously that he’s the guy that’s going to take the championship to Ferrari.”

Windsor also believes that Sainz’s performances might be playing a part in Leclerc’s relatively poor results so far in the season. He added, “If he didn’t believe that, he wouldn’t be racing. So that’s where he’s at, and it’s slightly annoying, obviously, that Carlos Sainz is continuing to go pretty well. But at that stage of the race in China, Carlos wasn’t really an issue. But all that means is that Charles isn’t in the smoothest of mental grooves at the moment, and he does stray on occasions.”

Your teammate is the last person you want to get beaten by as an F1 driver because you are in equal machinery. However, Leclerc has candidly acknowledged that he has not been on the level of Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc thinks Carlos Sainz has simply done ‘A better job’

Despite missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because of appendicitis, and finishing behind Leclerc in both races in China, Sainz is only 7 points behind his teammate in the drivers’ championship. And while Leclerc has been openly critical of himself, especially on his qualifying form, he has not shied away from praising the job his teammate has done at the start of the season.

When asked if he has been struggling to adapt to the SF-24 compared to his teammate, Charles denied the idea by saying, “No, I think it’s as simple as he’s doing a better job… It’s up to me now to work, especially in the qualifying pace, which is normally a strength. I’ve been struggling to put the lap together… For now, I have been struggling more than what Carlos has done. He’s driving at a very high level.”

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Do you think Carlos Sainz will cut down Leclerc’s lead in the upcoming race in Miami? Share your predictions in the comments down below.