Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz ‘free to race, but in the interests of the team’. Charles and Carlos 'free to race'.

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc is ready to start his fourth season alongside the Maranello team and will be more motivated than ever given the new generation of Formula 1 challengers which should give him the opportunity of once again fighting at the top, but also because he has learned some lessons after being outperformed by his team-mate, Carlos Sainz, in 2021.

Carlos Sainz joined Scuderia Ferrari from McLaren ahead of the previous campaign and immediately had a positive impact. The Spanish driver was able to adapt quicker to his new environment compared to other drivers who made a switch to a different team last season.

Carlos Sainz proved one of the most consistent drivers and in the end he was able to finish ahead of Charles Leclerc in the overall standings by the slim margin of just 5.5 points. As a result, the Spanish driver enjoyed his best Formula 1 championship to date, scoring 164.5 points, and has been on a gradual rise to the front since his first year with Toro Rosso in 2015.

But Charles Leclerc, who currently has a deal with the Maranello team which is available until 2026, is not worried about his status within Ferrari and is ready for on-track battles with his teammate this season:

“We have talked about it and we’ll be free to race, obviously in the interests of the team” – the Moneagsque driver explained, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport – “Obviously I was sorry to have lost the challenge to Carlos last year, but it was a lesson learned and now I’m turning the page for next season. The approach won’t change. You always try to fight for the top positions, getting the best out of yourself and the car.” – he added.

Scuderia Ferrari officially presented their new car for the 2022 Formula 1 season and the first impressions feel encouraging given the aggressive design.

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The Maranello team will be looking for their first race victory since 2019 and when asked about the team’s targets for the new campaign, Charles Leclerc said the Scuderia have lofty goals

“Winning the World Championship? That’s what we are here for. We have an opportunity to try to win on every track. I really like this new Ferrari, it’s really beautiful. We are the bravest concept seeing the cars already presented. After the work done at Maranello, to be able to admire the final design is exciting.” – he added.

Carlos Sainz will be starting his second of a two-year contract with Ferrari and the 27-year-old is confident he will continue with the Italian side for more years: “We are both happy with the situation and want to continue working together.” – the Spaniard concluded.