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Sainz: Leclerc is 'one of the greatest' qualifiers in F1

Forget Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz believes that his current Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc is one of if not the greatest qualifying talent at work in Formula 1 today.

In terms of head-to-head performance on Saturdays, Leclerc currently leads Sainz 13-7 in qualifying in 2021 and the Spaniard says that his team mate is definitely a challenge when it comes to straight speed trials.

“I think Charles is the best in qualifying,” he told GP Racing magazine recently. “He is one of the greatest, if not the greatest present in F1 today.

Read also: Binotto admits Ferrari just 'can't take it anymore'

Sainz admitted that he's only come to fully appreciate Leclerc's talent now that they were working close-up together "at very high levels" in the same garage.

"I’m not just talking about his speed, but also the fact he has a very good work ethic," he continued. “He is good at working with the team and to be honest, he has a lot of strengths that make him such a strong driver.

"I know there’s probably nobody more talented than Charles on a dry lap in a Ferrari," he said, adding that this made him the perfect milestone to measure himself up against. "“It’s a challenge I enjoy.

Despite their difference in qualifying outcomes, Sainz compares well with Leclerc when it comes to race performances and points.

Sainz has finished in the top ten in every race since the Styrian GP, and is currently just behind Leclerc in seventh place in the drivers championship with just 6.5 points between the pair.

Their combined efforts have boosted Ferrari into third place in the constructors standings, having pulled out a comfortable margin over rivals McLaren in recent outings.

When Sainz joined the team at the start of the season there were fears he would be used as a 'number two driver' to Leclerc but that's not proved to be the case and Sainz said recently he already feels “completely at home” at Maranello.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed recently that there would be no team orders in the remaining races, with the pair free to race on level terms in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.