Sainz compares Leclerc to Verstappen: 'That will be difficult for every driver'

Carlos Sainz made the switch from McLaren to Ferrari this year. There he will join the team of Charles Leclerc, who is already completely used to the car. Sainz knew this in advance and decided to come to Ferrari anyway. He likes the challenge.

Sainz no second fiddle

With Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari, Sainz already has quite a few teams on his CV for a driver who has only been in the sport for seven years. The Spaniard made the move from McLaren to Ferrari, where he has to compete with Leclerc. Sainz has looked at this, but is not worried.

''Of course I thought about it. When you sign a contract you look at all the options, but after talking to Mattia (Binotto) I realised I would get a fair chance. I thought 'maybe my first year with Leclerc will be difficult to match him', but I trust in my talent and work athic, and expect to be closer to him or hopefully even ahead of him in the future," Sainz told the BBC.

Leclerc versus Verstappen

''If you want to test your qualifying speed against someone, it's against Charles Leclerc. I think he's the best man in qualifying on the grid. He's one of, if not the biggest talent at the moment in Formula 1, and I can learn how he performs so well. I really like that challenge to be honest.''

With those statements, he is then of course immediately asked to compare Charles to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. ''Any driver you put in a Ferrari next to Charles now will have a hard time in qualifying because you already have three years of experience. However, if you go to Red Bull it will be very difficult with Max as well, and the same goes for Hamilton at Mercedes and Lando at McLaren. Those guys perform best with their car because they have experience with it,'' concludes the Spaniard.