Briatore: "Sainz clearly becomes second driver at Ferrari behind Leclerc"

With Carlos Sainz joining the team, Ferrari seems to have made a clear division within the team. Last season Charles Leclerc already showed that he is able to lead the team as team leader, and by attracting Sainz it seems that Ferrari has gained the perfect second driver. If it is up to Flavio Briatore, that is clearly the Italian team's plan.

The old Formula 1 team boss is clear about his expectation of Ferrari. "They are completely on the side of Charles Leclerc", he explains at Gazzetta dello Sport. "For me, the recipe for success has always been to have a driver for the title in your team and a driver who collects a lot of points and takes them away from the opponents".

Valtteri Bottas fulfils that role excellently at Mercedes, often finishing second behind Lewis Hamilton. So in the future we often see a scenario where Leclerc gets the most points for the team, with Sainz just behind. This is also the reason that Sebastian Vettel leaves Ferrari. "If you have two drivers of equal value in a team, you only take away important points from each other."

Nevertheless, Briatore thinks that Sainz has earned his place at Ferrari. "He's a good driver who had a very strong year last season, especially if you look at the car he drove". Next season Sainz will have to focus on his performance at McLaren before he can drive alongside Leclerc at Ferrari in 2021.