F1 pundits suggest underrated Ferrari driver “doesn’t get the credit he deserves”

F1 pundits Tom Clarkson and Damon Hill suggested Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz “doesn’t get the credit he deserves”, saying he is very underrated by fans.

Sainz is one of the most underrated drivers on the grid and has been performing consistently for a couple of years now. Two impressive seasons at McLaren saw him clinch P6 in the Drivers’ Championship both times before he made the move to Ferrari.

With the Italian outfit, the Spaniard moved one step ahead to take P5 in the standings. He had a very solid season with this new team and ended up handing fellow Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc the first defeat at the hands of his teammate.

As a result, the F1 pundits suggested Sainz “doesn’t get the credit he deserves”, and heaped praise on the Smooth Operator.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast as quoted by Planet F1, Clarkson said, “When Carlos was Max’s (Verstappen’s) teammate at Toro Rosso back in 2015, I think in qualifying they were separated on average the whole season by less than a tenth of a second.

“I’m sure Max has improved a lot, but sure Carlos would have improved as well.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz embrace. Abu Dhabi December 2021.
Sainz (right) beat his teammate Leclerc (left). Source: planetf1.com

“It’s weird, I think sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, Sainz, and I don’t know why because he has done a fantastic job this year.”

Carlito Cool

1996 World Champion Damon Hill piped in saying, “He is a grower, isn’t he?

“They (Ferrari) are saying that he has learned a lot, that’s the thing about Carlos, he’s got talent, he’s got ability and I think he is really quite smart. He’s done a good job, he’s a nice lad.

“When you talk about the next generation coming through, I think a lot of people would say Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris…Carlos needs to be in that group and I’m not sure everybody puts him there.”

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