Sainz's seat could be in jeopardy after start to 2023 F1 season

From a very difficult night in Jeddah for all the teams at the front of the grid, to an even more difficult Australian evening in Melbourne, on the Albert Park street circuit. Melbourne was a tough race, one of those that hit teams and drivers mercilessly. It was particularly tough for Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, who has only had lacklustre performances in the first two Grands Prix of the current season.

With rumours that Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton could be eyeing other teams, Ferrari could be a destination for both. Hamilton's idol, Ayrton Senna, often said that even if the Ferrari was as slow as a Beetle, he wanted to drive the last lap of his last Grand Prix in a Ferrari. And with McLaren's current form, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that Lando Norris could make the jump to the Italian squad in the future. One only has to look at the current grid to confirm that the validity of contracts in Formula 1 is short-lived.

Sainz commented in a recent interview that teams develop the car to make it faster, not to favour a particular driver. It's a statement that he hints at a lot. No matter how you dismantle the data, in the end, the clock doesn't lie. Leclerc is in a different league to Sainz, and this start to the season made that evident. Both in the race and on a single lap, Leclerc's pace is blistering, and the Spaniard cannot keep up with him.

Last year in Abu Dhabi, in the last round of the season, Mercedes had a chance to take second place in the constructors' championship from Ferrari. This year the Italians risk not only losing second place, but also third, which is currently the case. Sainz has a pace deficit compared to the drivers of both rival teams (as the Red Bull is in its own championship), with the exception of Lance Stroll.

If Sainz does not pick up the pace, Leclerc's season will be a fierce one. He will have to fight alone against Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin that looks unbeatable and against George Russell, who is young, bold, talented and now experienced, with the Brit slowly establishing his authority on the track and in his team. And then there is also Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in the history of F1. Fighting with only one car becomes exhausting, so it will only be a matter of time before Sainz's presence in the second Ferrari is questioned by the management.

Carlos Sainz is one of those drivers, like Carlos Reutemann. He has motorsport in his veins, he has a brilliant head for this profession and his intelligence is surpassed only by his subtlety. The Spaniard is able to think about his race, his teammate's race, and those of the drivers around him, while he himself chooses his own strategy and at the same time takes care of his tyres without dropping too much off the pace.

However, unlike Carlos "Lole" Reutemann, one of the great exponents of Latin American motorsport, along with Fangio, Senna and Fittipaldi, the Spaniard has not been able to exhibit these qualities consistently over the course of a full season. His second halves of the campaign are better than the first, but they are not exceptional either. Carlos Sainz is a very good driver, but in his ninth Formula 1 season, it is hard to describe him as 'incredible'. And that is just what is required to tame the Ferrari of the current campaign.