Ferrari would be negligent in letting Sainz slide despite the Leclerc deal

It is puzzling that Ferrari's official confirmation of Charles Leclerc's long-awaited new deal to drive for the team in Formula 1 was not accompanied by the announcement that Carlos Sainz would also remain.

Ferrari should prioritize signing this new contract as well, given they have a huge driver lineup.

You could make a case that Ferrari has the best driver lineup in Formula 1, although there's plenty of room to dispute that. However, a stronger argument could be made, and perhaps unanswerable, that it is the most wonderfully balanced given the duo's characteristics mean they make a formidable combination.

Ferrari would never say it, but Leclerc is considered the number one driver. This is not because he has better equipment or any nefarious activities, but simply because he is believed to be the faster of the two. Those who work in Formula 1 teams are aware of such a natural order, so it is a matter of understanding this rather than creating a situation in which this is true.

However, Sainz is not far behind and is far from slow. While Leclerc offers such extreme speed that some consider him the fastest driver in Formula 1, Sainz brings a different skill set and makes a huge technical contribution.

In addition, there are times when the car's characteristics are not as good as hoped, as if it should be a little understeer, which he can benefit from more than Leclerc.

Here, it's important to note that Leclerc tends to be a bit quicker when the characteristics of the faster car essentially dominate, so it's not a matter of favoring one or the other, but instead about a cool, hard time.

It's generally a very simple way of looking at their skills – but it's rare that there is such a clear case of a driver line-up covering each other's weaknesses.

And the fact that they are actually not being honest Weaknesses, but more areas where it may not be as strong as in other properties, tells you how strong the sum of its parts is. If Ferrari had produced a real title-challenging machine, they could have made a formidable duo.

That's why Ferrari seems to be slowing down. You can understand why it would want to keep driver market options open in case something better comes along, and there are some very attractive alternatives that will be on the market for 2025 anyway, hence the clear desire to only offer new short-term solutions for Sainz rather than settle for the long term. The extent to which he yearns and the desire to prolong the process.

Sainz's desire for stability does not necessarily mean he needs a huge five-year contract – it seems likely that the traditional '2+1' deal (two years and an option) will work for him and it should work for Ferrari too. While there are attractive options elsewhere that could become available, it would be risky to lose a driver who brings so much to the team.

What's more, it has viable alternatives. Stych is known to be pursuing him, and the Sauber-run Audi operation would certainly offer him big money and a long-term deal that would set out several conditions for Sainz – but unfortunately not a deal that would guarantee the machines at the top.

He is understood to have been roaming elsewhere to explore options, as alternatives could at worst provide some of the leverage needed to encourage Ferrari to agree to the deal.

Staying at Ferrari is his first choice though. But it is clear that Sainz is not willing to stay there any Terms – And he'll pay for something that lasts, gives him race-winning machinery and that will no doubt reward him well financially.

This appears to be a game of contractual edge on both sides, with Sainz and Ferrari keen to continue but the devil is in the details. Everyone must realize that such situations are not always resolved as expected or hoped for.