Carlos Sainz F1 2024 title ambitions met with ‘hard to believe’ claim

Carlos Sainz has set his sights on challenging for the World Championship in F1 2024, but former Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor does not believe the Spaniard is up to that task.

Sainz is preparing for a fourth season as a Ferrari driver in F1 2024, his ambitions for the season ahead meaning it would be by far his best yet if they were achieved.

Red Bull has dominated the era of ground effect aerodynamics, but Sainz has challenged himself and his Ferrari team to aim for title glory in F1 2024.

Peter Windsor: Charles Leclerc beats Carlos Sainz to title

Sainz scored a victory in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, denying Red Bull an undefeated 2023 with victory in Singapore, but this time around, he wants to stack up the wins and push for the title.

“I am in the best place on the F1 grid to be an F1 champion, without a doubt,” Sainz told DAZN.

“I hope I have many, many years ahead of me and I wouldn’t mind having all of them in red. My main motivation is to be a World Champion.

“And if I can achieve that with Ferrari, even better. That’s what we have to try for in 2024 and I think we have the capacity.”

However, should Ferrari indeed create an F1 2024 challenger worthy of pushing for Drivers’ title glory, which the team has not tasted since 2007, then Windsor argues Charles Leclerc would be the driver to pull off that achievement.

Leclerc claimed pole position five times in F1 2023, but has not converted one into victory since Austria 2022.

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“I think if Ferrari have a car capable of winning the World Championship, I find it hard to believe that Leclerc wouldn’t outpoint Carlos Sainz,” claimed Windsor in a YouTube livestream.

“As good as Carlos has become as that Ferrari driver in that car, a bit like Jim Clark, he could drive on the absolute limit and it was slightly easier for him to do that than [Sir] Jackie [Stewart], I think it’s the same with Charles Leclerc.

“Whatever the limit it is that Leclerc can find, he can do that for longer than Carlos Sainz.

“Yes, I know Charles makes mistakes, but I think if he’s got a championship-winning car, I’m not sure we’d see the same Charles, I don’t think he’d make as many mistakes as he has done.

“And I think he’d beat Carlos in a championship-winning Ferrari.”

Both Leclerc and Sainz are expected to sign Ferrari contract extensions, their current deals up at the end of 2024.

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