Sainz disputes claims Leclerc is n°1 driver at Ferrari

Carlos Sainz says he remains free to fight Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, disputing claims that the Monegasque has become the Scuderia's de facto n°1 driver.

Leclerc outpaced Sainz in the first half of the season, securing two wins in the first three races while more victories could have come his way if Ferrari had enjoyed better reliability.

However, slowly but surely, Sainz has been able to match his teammate's performance, an upswing in form validated by his maiden F1 win achieved earlier this month at Silverstone.

And the Spaniard would have also been in contention for a race win in Austria without a spectacular engine failure that occurred as the race was about to enter its final stages.

• Read also: Sainz hit with French GP grid drop following Ferrari PU element change

Sainz therefore brushes off suggestions that Leclerc is the Italian outfit's leader, even as the Monegasque sits second in the driver's standings behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

"None of that has come to me," the Spaniard told Marca when asked about his status at Ferrari.

"I arrive every weekend knowing that I can fight freely with Charles, although you always respect your team-mate more.

"I come here with the same mentality."

Leclerc's better position in the championship relative to Sainz means that Ferrari could implement strategic team orders sooner rather than later and prioritize the Spaniard's teammate.

But Sainz says that if his status changes, "it will be communicated, I hope" to him.

In the interim, the 27-year-old is determined to hold his own against Leclerc and continue to build on his recently improved momentum.

"I know I have to keep taking steps forward and I think I have room for it," he said.

"When I discover a couple of other things that I lack in the car, I think I can have a very strong second part of the championship."

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