Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris have dismissed the notion that Carlos Sainz is underestimated, citing how those within the Formula 1 paddock understand his “worth”.
Leclerc has had a slight measure over Sainz since the pair became team-mates at Ferrari in 2021, but the latter has landed the Italian marque’s last two race victories.
That includes the most recent round in Australia, which saw Sainz, who was returning from an appendix operation a fortnight ago, front a memorable Ferrari 1-2 finish.
Sainz also landed the sole non-Red Bull win of the previous campaign in Singapore, but Ferrari has not renewed his contract and instead signed Lewis Hamilton for 2025.
However, Leclerc insists that his current F1 partner will not have trouble securing a seat on the grid because other teams appreciate Sainz’s capabilities as a racing driver.
Asked whether he considered Sainz to be underrated, Leclerc said: “I think everybody knows Carlos’ worth in the paddock. He’s one of the highest-rated drivers in the paddock.
“He’s been extremely strong every time he was in a Formula 1 car. And he has shown it multiple times. So I don’t think he’s underrated for that. I think everybody knows Carlos’ worth.
“And that’s why I’ve said many times that I’m not too worried about his future, because I’m sure that many, many team principals are… He doesn’t say it, but for sure they are speaking with him. And I’m sure he will have many opportunities and he’ll just have to make the best choice for his career.”
Norris, who partnered Sainz at McLaren in his opening two seasons in F1, concurred with Leclerc’s comments, arguing the Ferrari star has improved further in 2024.
“I think Charles put it well, to be honest,” Lando added. “There’s no reason anyone should think he’s underrated. I think for the people who know him, know what he’s capable of doing, know his effort level, his approach and dedication to wanting to be one of the best, exactly like he’s proved today and over the last couple of weeks.
“I’m sure you have plenty of drivers who probably wouldn’t have tried as hard and dedicated so much of their time and effort to trying to recover and get back in the race car. And I think that’s just one example of it. But for the people who know what he’s capable of doing, you would never ever say he’s underrated.
“I think, yeah, of course, results are always a bit of a point to show. And people on the outside just easily judge things from what you see on TV.
“But when you’ve worked with him, when you know what he’s capable of doing and when things click, they click very well. And he has performances like he does this weekend. And I would say he has all year. He’s proved to be, let’s say, a step up from maybe what he has been last year. So yeah, you’re silly if you underrate him.”
Sainz remarked “I guess I have to agree with my two favourite team-mates” before adding that people to have worked with him acknowledge his talent and commitment.
“There are some kind words there, but I agree with them,” he addressed. “I think people that know me or have shared a team with me or people that have worked with me know me.
“And I don’t feel underrated by people that know about this sport. And other people that maybe don’t have an insight and don’t know as much about this sport, if they want to underrate me, I’m fine with that. I don’t care, honestly.
“But I care about the people that know this sport well and about my team-mates, people that have seen my data, seen how I work, seen my speed. And that’s the thing I care about. And I don’t feel underrated by them.”
