Ferrari made the bold move to drop Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 F1 season. Following that, they elected to bring in Carlos Sainz, who had shown some good form at McLaren.

Sainz also has prior experience racing for Toro Rosso and Renault, which made him an attractive candidate for Ferrari. Factor in his composed demeanor off-track and hunger to achieve success, and he seemed the right choice to further the team’s project.

Team principal Mattia Binotto has now revealed that many people ‘congratulated’ him after they announced Sainz’s signing. Speaking in an interview, he talks about why he thinks the Spaniard is the right choice to partner Charles Leclerc.

Sainz is the right driver for Ferrari, said team boss Binotto

Binotto stated, “Before signing Carlos Sainz we did a lot of analysis of the previous seasons, how he had progressed, his words to the media, how he started in F1 and how he progressed.” (translated via Google Translate)

“We knew he was a very good driver and a very good racing driver, very consistent in the race. To look back at the constructors’ championship, we needed a great partner for Charles.”

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Ferrari suffered a miserable campaign overall, despite bright spots in Leclerc’s and Vettel’s occasional podiums. However, for a team that aims to be back on top again, Binotto believes the Scuderia needs a ‘great partner’ for Leclerc.

“Last year, at the end of the course, many congratulated me on the choice I made. I am very happy for the choice of Carlos. He is the right driver for Ferrari and to be a partner with Charles.”

Leclerc and Sainz will have to work together in tandem to deliver improved results in 2021

A new driver pairing always means that it will take some time for both racers to adapt and communicate with each other. That would be the case with Sainz and Leclerc as well, who are both exceptionally good drivers.

But given 2021 is going to be a critical season for Ferrari, they will need their lineup to fire together and meet the objectives. That will also largely depend on how good the SF21 car is, and whether Sainz, being the new recruit, can make himself at home with different machinery.

Therefore, it will certainly be interesting to follow how Ferrari goes about its season on the track. With an expectant fanbase watching on, both Sainz and Leclerc have to take it upon themselves to display progress in 2021.

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