Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has no illusions
Charles Leclerc’s words
Charles Leclerc is satisfied after the Friday free practice session of the Hungarian GP that saw him excel: “It was a good day, although it is difficult to tell what the true values on the field are since with this new format related to tires each team followed a different program. As for us, we completed the work we had planned and the feeling in the car is good, so we look forward to what we can bring home tomorrow.”
He was echoed by Carlos Sainz, despite not bringing home an equally positive final result: “It was a peculiar Friday: the first session was affected by the rain, while in the second session we had to take into account the format of this weekend by having to carefully manage the tires. On my flying lap in FP2 I found a lot of traffic of cars that were simulating the race pace, while in the long run I felt more comfortable, even though we completed a limited number of laps. Overall there is some room for improvement ahead of tomorrow, so we will continue to work hard.”
Charles Leclerc is the third driver from the Principality to have competed in the Formula 1 World Championship after Louis Chiron and Olivier Beretta, as well as the youngest ever to win a Grand Prix driving a Ferrari single-seater. In 2019, he made his debut with the Rossa, taking Kimi Raikkonen’s place, and in March he scored his first career pole position, in Bahrain. His first success with the Prancing Horse came at the Spa circuit in Belgium on September 1, 2019.
Carlos Sainz Jr., was born in Madrid on September 1, 1994. He is the son of driver Carlos Sainz, a two-time world rally champion and three-time winner of the Dakar Rally. Despite his father’s successes on dirt roads, Carlos immediately opted for Formula 1, making his debut in 2015 driving a Toro Rosso. After two seasons with the current AlphaTauri, one in Renault and one in McLaren, Sainz officially became a Ferrari driver in 2021. In the colors of the Maranello-based stable, the Spaniard took the first career pole position at Silverstone on July 2, 2022, and the following day he scored the first victory of his Formula 1 career, at the end of a race masterfully conducted in adverse weather conditions. With the success in Britain, Sainz became the second Spanish driver to win a GP in F1, after only Fernando Alonso.
