Villeneuve: "He has never been in such an important team"

Charles Leclerc seems to be enjoying his time at Ferrari. The driver has a good relationship with his co-driver Carlos Sainz and they spend a lot of time together. In the course of the season however the battle for the championship could erupt internally, according to Jacques Villeneuve.

The Italian team decided to say goodbye to Sebastian Vettel at the end of last season. Aston Martin hired the German, after which Ferrari chose to bring in Sainz. Sainz did well in the opening race in Bahrain by finishing eighth, while Leclerc finished two places ahead of him. The Spaniard could well make things difficult for his teammate in the future though, according to Villeneuve.

Sainz has some years of experience in Formula 1, but he is not used to racing in a big team. "Carlos has never been in such an important team," the one-time 1997 world champion told the Italian newspaper. Corriere dello Sport. "He has developed himself over time and comes in with experience. Moreover, he is used to dealing with fast teammates. That can start to irritate Charles."

New Ferrari engine

Although Ferrari is still miles behind the top teams this season, the team is working hard on the future. It is expected that the Italians will be able to show some improvements in the coming races, after which Ferrari expects to compete with a new powerplant in 2022. This improvement should help Ferrari fight for the front places again.