Charles Leclerc vs Carlos Sainz: Who will come out on top?

Carlos Sainz has joined the team from McLaren to partner Charles Leclerc to form arguably one of the best pairings on the grid, and certainly one of the youngest.

With two seasons, 12 podiums and two race wins under his belt for the Prancing Horses, Leclerc will be coming into the season as favourite, but is this fair?

Whilst Sainz is yet to finish P1 in a Formula One race, he hasn’t yet driven a car capable of race victories yet, but Leclerc has.

McLaren achieved just two podiums all season last year, despite finishing third in the Constructors’ Championship, whereas in 2019, Leclerc was driving a car fighting for race wins and consistently finishing in the top three.

Both drivers are highly regarded amongst their peers, pundits and fans, and hence this battle will be intriguing and could prove to be the closest of any team on the grid.

Ferrari appear to have somewhat fixed the problems of 2020, but it still seems highly likely that they’ll be fighting for fourth in the championship, with McLaren looking so strong during the very early stages of this season.

Furthermore, Leclerc is set to be challenged far more heavily this time around than last year, when four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was nowhere near his pace all season, except for in Turkey. 

But who will come out on top?

The argument that Sainz will need time to adjust to a new team is certainly a valid one, but he’s got more than enough experience in this regard.

Despite being just 26, Ferrari is already Sainz’s fourth team in Formula One, with the Spaniard not yet completing more than three seasons for one team.

He started at Toro Rosso before moving to Renault, McLaren, and now Ferrari. The trend of him moving teams is reported to continue with Haas rookie Mick Schumacher touted for the second seat alongside Leclerc at Ferrari.

However, Sainz will be desperate to make an impact at his new team, and the early signs are that he can.

He finished FP2 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix with a quicker time than Leclerc, setting a 1:31.127 time in comparison to the Monegasque’s 1:31.612. Sainz finished the opening Friday of the season in fourth, with Leclerc 12th.

So although the amount you can take from free practice is limited, it’s certainly a positive sign for the new Ferrari driver.

Last season’s standings would suggest that Sainz has the upper hand, finishing with 105 points in sixth place, with Leclerc in eighth with 98 points.

However, the McLaren car was far quicker than the Prancing Horses last year so it’s hard to judge which driver actually performed better. Driving in a car with such a poor engine, Leclerc arguably was the more in-form driver, and to achieve two podiums in 2020 was an exceptional achievement.

Sainz will be hoping that his decision to join a team that struggled so much last year will pay off; something that only time will tell.

Leclerc is a multiple race winner and considered by some to be third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in terms of talent behind the wheel, so Sainz will have his work cut out to better his 23-year-old teammate.

Leclerc has never been beaten by his teammate in either Formula One or Formula Two, even with Vettel alongside him, and will be desperate for this theme to carry on in 2021.

Sainz will be aiming to buck the trend, and ensure he betters his teammate for a third consecutive season, and cements his place in the Ferrari garage.

It may go down to the wire, but who will be victorious in this gruelling battle? Find out over the next 23 races.