Formula 1 is a cut-throat business and it doesn’t take long for your place on the grid to be questioned if you begin to underperform.
The likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Logan Sargeant are already feeling the heat just four races into the 2024 season.
Speaking to Motorsport.nl, Jan Lammers believes there’s another driver who is struggling right now.
The inherent nature of Formula 1 is that every team turns up to each race with different cars, unlike the junior formulas where there are significantly fewer differences.
For this reason, it can be very difficult to compare the ability of each driver against one another.
However, the best way to weigh up whether a driver is performing is by looking at how they’re doing against their teammate.
For example, Sergio Perez was one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid after his final season with Racing Point, but his reputation may have suffered slightly as a result of racing against Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
However, former F1 driver Lammers believes that Ferrari star Charles Leclerc has been left ‘mentally shaken’ by how quick Carlos Sainz has been this season.
The Spaniard is on the war path right now as he fights to save his Formula 1 career.
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Jan Lammers thinks Charles Leclerc is ‘mentally shaken’ by Carlos Sainz
It’s been a very strong start to the season for Frederic Vasseur’s Ferrari team.
Red Bull are still the team to beat, but out of everyone else on the grid, Ferrari have taken the biggest steps forward to chase them down.
In Bahrain and Japan, they were best of the rest behind a Red Bull one-two and took full advantage of Max Verstappen’s retirement and Sergio Perez’s struggles in Australia to occupy the top two steps on the podium.
It was only in Saudi Arabia when they didn’t finish in the two highest positions behind Red Bull although rookie Oliver Bearman can’t be criticised for a fantastic performance at very short notice in Jeddah.
However, Carlos Sainz has finished ahead of Leclerc on all three occasions this season and Lammers believes he’s been shaken by his teammate’s performances.
It’s not going to get much easier for the five-time race winner next year when Sainz departs and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton arrives.
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Charles Leclerc might be feeling the pressure right now
Speaking about the 26-year-old, Lammers said: “I think [Charles] Leclerc was just mentally shaken for a moment by [Carlos] Sainz’s performance.”
One of Leclerc’s biggest strengths throughout his Formula 1 career has been his qualifying.
Martin Brundle said last season that he’s even stronger one lap than Max Verstappen.
However, in back-to-back races, he’s been out-qualified by Sainz and that has cost him a victory in Australia and a podium in Japan.
That’s not to say he’s driving badly, as from a difficult position in Suzuka he executed a perfect Sunday to finish fourth and nail a one-stop strategy that both Mercedes couldn’t cope with.
Leclerc admitted ahead of last weekend’s Grand Prix that he didn’t feel completely confident in the car.
Lammers seems to think that’s showing in Leclerc’s performance and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he was shaken by how quick his teammate has been.
There are still 20 more races to compete in and the Monegasque driver has plenty of time to get up to speed.
He’s shown over the years what a brilliant driver he is and so there won’t be any concerns at Ferrari right now that he’s slightly behind his teammate.
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