F1 | Binotto: “Sainz can become world champion”

When the hiring of Carlos Sainz at Ferrari was announced, many immediately thought that he will be Charles Leclerc's wingman. However, it was the Spaniard himself who declared that he has not signed with the Maranello team to be number two.

Interviewed by Marca, team principal Mattia Binotto predicts that Sainz will need some time to get used to life in Maranello but does not exclude the possibility that he could fight for the world title

“I think the first year will be more complicated because he first has to understand the car and the team. That's why we didn't sign a one-year contract with him, but I know he is very fast, so he can definitely be world champion."

At the same time, however, Binotto admits that Leclerc has a place of great importance in the team, to the point of consulting him regarding the hiring of Sainz:

"It's important to me that he is involved in these decisions, to have his feedback. Charles is our investment, part of our team's future, so he knew about it. We have invested a lot in Charles for many years, the process continues and we hope that this year he will be even stronger than the past and even stronger in the future, that's why we renewed his contract for so many years (until 2024, ed.). Charles is a driver that Ferrari can count on for the future, trying to develop as much as possible and who can become the strongest driver in the history of Formula 1."

As for the relationship between the two young drivers, the team principal has no concerns about it:

"I don't think there will be difficult moments between the two, everything will be fine and if there are, it will be my job to deal with it, we have to be positive. The first thing is to have two good drivers, team spirit is what is important, making sure Ferrari comes first. And I think the track itself will dictate who is first and who is second. It has always been like this even in the days of Michael Schumacher, who started every year at the same level as his teammate, but in the third race it was clear who was first.".