Charles Leclerc vs Carlos Sainz: who would prevail in a title-worthy Ferrari? Peter Windsor's verdict

The text discusses the opinion of Peter Windsor regarding the potential competition between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari capable of contending for the championship until the end of the Formula One season.

In the three years as teammates, Charles Leclerc has finished ahead in the championship twice out of three, with Carlos Sainz prevailing in his debut year at Maranello in 2021. Particularly last year, with an F1-75 capable of winning races for about half the season, Charles Leclerc established a significant gap over Carlos Sainz, who struggled with the 2022 Formula 1 car. If Ferrari produces a competitive car in 2024, who would come out on top?

Peter Windsor dismisses Carlos Sainz in a hypothetical championship battle with Charles Leclerc.
“I hope to have many, many years ahead of me, and I wouldn’t mind having them all in red,” said Carlos Sainz a few days ago in an interview with DAZN Spain.

“My main motivation is to become world champion. If I can achieve it with Ferrari, even better. That’s what we need to try to do in 2024. I believe we have the capabilities.” – the Spaniard pointed out.

Despite the splendid victory in the Singapore GP, the only success of a bittersweet 2023 for the Maranello team, former Ferrari general manager Peter Windsor does not believe that Carlos Sainz can compete for the title with his teammate if Ferrari is competitive next year: “If Ferrari had a car capable of winning the title, I find it hard to believe that Charles Leclerc wouldn’t beat Carlos Sainz.”

“It’s a bit like Jim Clark, who could drive at the absolute limit, and it was slightly easier for him to do so compared to Jackie Stewart. I think it’s the same for Charles. Whatever his limit is, he can sustain it longer than Carlos Sainz.” – he explained – “I know Charles makes mistakes. I also think, though, that if he had a championship-winning car, we wouldn’t see the same Charles. I don’t think he would make as many mistakes as he has so far. I believe he would beat Carlos with a winning Ferrari.” – Peter Windsor concluded.

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Certainly, before discussing a potential internal battle between the two prancing horse champions, there will be a need to close the gap with Red Bull, which, despite the late-season improvement, remains high. It is also important to understand whether the 2024 Formula 1 car will suit the driving style of one or the other more, with Carlos Sainz struggling with the characteristics characteristics of the F1-75, while he excelled with the SF23 single-seater.

Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari