Carlos Sainz believes some people would prefer it if he was a clear No.2 driver at Ferrari.
After outscoring Charles Leclerc last year, the Spaniard’s performance was a low point in the opening races of 2022 as he was slower to adapt to Formula 1’s new ground effect cars.
Crashes in Australia and Imola triggered calls for Ferrari to prioritise Leclerc, who appeared poised for a genuine championship battle with Max Verstappen.
Instead, team boss Mattia Binotto maintained equal status and was later criticised when strategy decisions in Monaco and Silverstone benefitted Sainz much more than the Monegasque.
But Carlos believes his progress during the year supported Binotto’s approach.
“I can understand that after the first few races, Charles was clearly one step ahead in both qualifying and race pace,” he told the Spanish newspaper AS. “But in the middle of the season, I improved a lot.
“I started getting into the fight more and it was kind of frustrating in a way because when I got into the fight it seemed like some people didn’t want me there.
“I was criticised for not being there, and when I started being there some wondered what I was doing up front, not letting Charles win everything.”
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Equal status between Ferrari drivers has been a rare policy in recent times, just ask the likes of Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa.
And Sainz believes there are some who would prefer the Scuderia to return to the days of a clear No.1 and No.2 in the team.
“I think so,” he said. “Also, Mattia and the team recognise it is a virtue, it is one of our strengths.
“But it is clear there was a part of the people who follow Ferrari who did not want, or do not want, there to be two drivers (at the same level).
“Perhaps it is a question for others because I’m convinced the best thing for the team is that we two are as close to each other as possible.”
Even Ferrari chairman John Elkann caused a stir back in Monza when he suggested Leclerc was in “pole position” to bring championship success back to Maranello in the coming years.
But Binotto was quick to dispel that thought.
“If you look at the current season, Charles on average has been faster than Carlos and has been most often on pole position,” he conceded.
“But the ambition of the two drivers, the final ambition is to win the championship and I think Carlos is a strong racer.
“He has proved it last year, in the past seasons and is still proving this season that he’s a good racer. He is scoring a lot of points on Sunday, he’s a good learner and he’s fast as well.
“I think it’s fair, as a team, to give them equal chance, certainly at the start of the season and through the season. If necessity will be there, we may designate who’s got the most opportunity to win.”
