Will the Ferrari drivers work together to fight McLaren? 'Common interest'
F1 News
Both Ferrari drivers could finish ahead of the two McLarens in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Therefore, the Italian team are well set up to gain points over their rivals in the constructors' standings. Following the session, Carlos Sainz underlined that he will work together with Charles Leclerc to secure a good result.
Sainz finished second, while Leclerc finished in fourth position in qualifying leading up to Saturday's Grand Prix in the 'Sin City'. Similarly to what team principal Frederic Vasseur declared to F1TV, the Spaniard also has a clear goal in mind: win this weekend.
"I think we're going to go into the race trying to win because that's what we need to target. Also knowing McLaren is behind and with the two cars trying to get the maximum points possible because we know in order to beat McLaren, we're probably going to go through a weekend in Qatar where we're also losing points. So we need to make sure we gain them and knowing that, yeah, there are 30 something points ahead. That is quite a lot."
Will Leclerc and Sainz work together?
Just this season, fans could see both cases. Leclerc and Sainz have worked together as team players to help each other out, for example, in Monza, Sainz tried to hold up the McLarens chasing as much as he could on used tyres. On the other hand, drivers engaged in hard, but fair battles as well, for example at COTA. According to the Spaniard, given that the constructors' championship is on the line now, the duo will work together.
"I think we are both the first one interested in winning the Constructors’. I'm not going to lie. I think we're both very motivated to do so, and we are collaborating with each other more than ever before, also because I'm very far off him in the championship with the two or three zeros that I had this season. And even though I'm driving well, I think there is not personal battles for the Driver's Championship going on," Sainz began.
"This means that we have a common interest of clinching the Constructors’ because we both have that left for us in the in the championship, and we are collaborating more than ever before, as I said, and cooperating as much as we can. And yeah, we will go into tomorrow knowing that that is the number one priority," he explained.
Currently, the gap between McLaren and Ferrari stands at 36-points in the constructors' championship.
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