“Both of these guys have had ups and downs”- Ferrari sporting director discloses who is ‘more emotional’ between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies doesn’t think Charles Leclerc is more emotional than Carlos Sainz. There have been a few bursts of funk from Charles Leclerc this season when Ferrari have messed up their strategy in one way or another. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, kept a calm head and even dictated his own strategy in tricky situations.
Speaking to the media about both drivers’ outbursts, Laurent Mekies countered claims that Charles Leclerc was the more emotional driver at Ferrari, stating:
“I wouldn’t say Leclerc is any more emotional than Sainz. Both guys have had ups and downs this season, the latter very painful, and in both cases when they go back to the garage after also analyzing what happened using the data they can reset everything and put themselves in one Quarter of an hour in learning mode.”
“You have to distinguish what you hear on the radio during the race in the heat of the moment from the rest. They are two different things. If they get out of the car and analyze everything, after an hour they no longer have any negative emotions and are even more motivated.”
Most recently, Charles Leclerc lost another race due to a strategic error by Ferrari at the 2022 Hungarian F1 GP. Leclerc was predictably dejected after the race but hoped it would prove to be a learning curve for the team in the future. He said:
“It’s a shame we didn’t bring home a better result because the car felt good and we had strong pace today on medium tyres. Unfortunately, the hards just didn’t work in these conditions. We need to see what we can have done better now, recharge our batteries at the break and be ready to fight in the second half of the season.”
Ferrari boss hopes to analyze every aspect of the race for a strong comeback
Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto admitted after the Hungarian F1 GP that the result was not what the team was looking for. The team boss also admitted that the car was not able to reproduce Friday’s pace and therefore had compromised in strategy as well. He is quoted as saying after the Hungarian F1 GP:
“Today’s result is unsatisfactory. In general we didn’t perform well as the car wasn’t able to reproduce Friday’s pace and in terms of how we managed the strategy and the pit stops. Analyzing all aspects of this race is a top priority in the coming days to prepare as well as possible for the remaining Grands Prix.”
The team has made a strong comeback this season with a fast car. Ultimately, if the team can make improvements to the strategy unit, it could become a powerful force in the championship.