It is puzzling that Ferrari's formal confirmation of Charles Leclerc's long-touted new contract to drive for the team in Formula 1 was not accompanied by the announcement that Carlos Sainz was also staying on.
Ferrari must also make signing this new contract a priority as the company has an impressive driver line-up.
It can be argued that Ferrari has the best driver line-up in Formula 1, although there is plenty of room to dispute this. However, an even stronger, perhaps even undeniable, argument can be made that it is the most balanced work, considering that the duo's characteristics make for a formidable combination.
Ferrari will never say it, but Leclerc is considered the number one driver. This is not because he was given better equipment or engaged in any nefarious activities, but simply because he is considered to be the faster of the two. Those who work in F1 teams recognize such a natural order, so it's more about understanding that this is the case than creating a situation where it is true.
However, Sainz is not far behind and is anything but slow. While Leclerc offers that extreme speed that some consider him the fastest driver in Formula 1, Sainz has other skills and makes an impressive technical contribution.
There are also times when the characteristics of the car are not as hoped, such as when it needs to understeer a little more, where he can get more out of it than Leclerc.
It is important to note here that Leclerc tends to be slightly faster when fundamentally faster vehicle characteristics prevail. So it's not about favoring one or the other, it's more about cold, hard lap times.
That's a very simplistic view of their abilities on the whole – but it's rare to see such a clear driver line-up covering each other's weaknesses.
And the fact that these are actually not clear weaknesses, but rather areas where they may not be as pronounced as other characteristics, shows how strong the sum of their parts is. If Ferrari produced a real title machine, they would make a formidable pair.
For this reason, it is strange that Ferrari seems to be making slow progress. You can understand why the company would want to keep its options open in the driver market in case something better comes along, and there are some very attractive alternatives that will be on the market for 2025 anyway, hence the obvious desire For Sainz, it is more of a deal than the longer-term stability he craves and a willingness to drag out the process.
Sainz's desire for stability doesn't necessarily mean he needs a mega five-year deal – it seems likely that a traditional '2+1' contract (two years and an option) would work for him, and that should work for Ferrari too . While there are tempting options that could become available elsewhere, it would be risky to lose a driver who offers so much to the team.
He also has viable alternatives. Stake is known to be pursuing him, and the Sauber-led company that will soon become Audi would undoubtedly offer him big money and a long-term contract that would tick several boxes for Sainz – but unfortunately not the one that guarantees top-of-the-line machinery.
He is known to have looked elsewhere to explore options as, in a worst-case scenario, alternatives can provide the pressure needed to persuade Ferrari to do a deal.
However, his first choice is to stay at Ferrari. But it is clear that Sainz is not prepared to stay there under any circumstances – and will push for something that lasts, gives him racing machines and undoubtedly rewards him well financially.
It appears that this is a risky contractual game on both sides that Sainz and Ferrari would like to continue, but the devil is in the details. Everyone must be aware that such situations are not always resolved as expected or hoped.