Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on par? Former champion crushes Ferrari

The balance among Maranello’s drivers needs to be set: the word of a world champion.

Damon Hill chimes in on the management of on-track relations between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who have often over the course of this season (especially in the first Grands Prix of the year) competed on equal terms. And according to the 1996 world champion, Ferrari will have to change its approach to undermine Max Verstappen’s dominance.

“The fact is, if we’re talking about pure pace, Charles Leclerc is superior,” Hill explained during a speech to the ‘F1 Nation’ podcast. “Carlos has done a great job, but he hasn’t yet reached the level of his teammate, or am I wrong? As a team they are a very good pair, but he is a bit like Sergio Perez for Verstappen. He was very fast in Monza, it’s true, but in order to challenge Leclerc he will have to move up further.”

Meanwhile, however, according to the former Williams, Arrows and Jordan driver, a clear choice will have to be made in Maranello. “If they want to challenge Verstappen in Ferrari, they will have to give more space to what they have best. Without thinking that this will adversely affect anyone’s sensibilities, because in Formula 1 there is no room for these things,” thundered Hill.