Ferrari “upset and tired of Sainz’s excuses” - Leclerc is “angry” at him

The reports from the Spanish media are a bleak look inside life at Maranello, where the start of the F1 2023 season has been far from ideal.

Ferrari are “starting to get tired” of Sainz, El Nacional report, because he is “not performing as expected”.

The Italian team is “fed up with the excuses” from him - last time out, in Australia, Sainz was left raging at a five-second penalty which took him from P4 to P14, and his appeal was dismissed by the FIA.

Ferrari want Sainz to “win on the track, and not outside” and their attitude is “making it clear that regrets or excuses are useless”.

The report also insists that displeasure at Sainz’s performances has been building for “some time now”.

He is “not showing” their expectation that he would become their “star driver”, which has “upset” the team.

Charles Leclerc’s role in Carlos Sainz’s woes

The report also claims that pressure is mounting on Sainz in part due to his teammate Leclerc.

The Monegasque driver is “very angry” because Sainz didn’t help him in Australia, it is claimed.

The report comes from Barcelona-based media and it is aimed at Madrid-based Sainz, it should be noted.

Ferrari have failed to deliver their duo of drivers a competitive car so far in 2023, and a dreadful reminder of last year’s reliability problems has resurfaced with Leclerc failing to finish two out of three grands prix this year.

This weekend's F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first chance for Ferrari to put things right - and for Sainz to reclaim the trust of his team.