Carlos Sainz lauds Charles Leclerc as one of the 'greats'; commits future to Ferrari

Leclerc was beaten in the championship standings by his new Ferrari teammate

Carlos Sainz says there are very few drivers in Formula 1 faster than Charles Leclerc, his teammate at the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. The Spaniard, who joined the Italian marque for the 2021 season, impressed in his debut campaign finishing ahead of the highly-rated Monegasque driver.

The former McLaren driver joined the team to replace four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, and was expected to play a supporting role to Leclerc. However, he proved his doubters wrong and impressed throughout the season, bagging four podiums to Leclerc's one in 2021, which also helped him finish fifth in the Drivers' Championship.

Despite out performing his teammate on race days, Sainz is a big admirer of Leclerc's ability to combine speed and hard work. The Spaniard feels there are very few drivers in F1 that have the speed Leclerc displays, especially over one lap.

"Without any doubt, he is one of the greats. He is a specialist in many things and works much harder than people think," Sainz told AS. "He has the complete package of speed, hard work and consistency, I doubt there are drivers driving in Formula 1 who are much faster than him."

Long-term deal: Ferrari's Charles Leclerc William WEST/AFP

Leclerc is certain to have been disappointed to finish behind his teammate in the championship standings, especially after leading the way for most of the year and having an advantage going into the final race. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto feels the Monegasque left at least 40 points on the table after failing to start the race from pole position in Monaco and being taken out on the opening lap in Hungary.

Sainz also went on to discuss his F1 future, suggesting that he sees himself sticking with Ferrari in the long-term. He is contracted to the team until the end of the 2022 season, but Binotto confirmed that they will hold discussions about extending his deal during the winter break prior to the start of next campaign.

"Considering I have another year left on my contract, I'm in no rush," Sainz said about signing a new deal with Ferrari. "But it is true that right now I do not see myself anywhere other than Ferrari in the medium or long term. I'm happy here, I really enjoy it and I go home after every race with a smile and pride in being a Ferrari driver."