The importance of being Carlo and of driving a Ferrari

That Ferrari made a double, first and second place, had not happened for more than two years. The last red victory was at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel at the wheel, second came then Charles Leclerc, today the first driver of Ferrari that triumphed in the Bahrain GP, ​​the inaugural race of the 2022 World Cup. A one-two in the first race had been missing since 2010, with Alonso and Massa. Then the Spaniard was first, this time second. Behind Charles Leclerc he placed his Ferrari Carlos Sainz. Third Lewis Hamilton with a Mercedes that is not what it used to be. Red Bulls out: world champion Max Verstappen retired and Sergio Perez spun on the last lap.

“Thanks to the fans who supported us in difficult years, Ferrari is back where it belongs»Said Leclerc celebrating the 85th double for the reds with Sainz. In addition to the steering wheel of the F1 of Maranello, the drivers in red share the name: they are both called Carlo. I am the predestined and the son of art, the Monegasque and the Spaniard.

Charles Leclerc

Class of 1997, born in the principality of Monaco, Charles Marc Hervé Perceval has known cars since he was a child, as everyone started with karts, together with Jules Bianchi. His manager is the son of Jean Todt. His father Hervé was a Formula 3 driver in the 1980s, before setting up a company in the plastics industry. Her mother works in a beauty salon. The Ferrari driver is the second son, after Lorenzo and before Arthur, who is also a driver. His father died at the age of 54 and he also lost his friends Bianchi and Anthoine Hubert.

Ferrari made him grow in its nursery, the Ferrari Driver Academy: champion of the GP3 in 2016 and of Formula 2 in 2017. In 2018 he raced in F1 for Sauber, the following year he moved to Ferrari.

He is the first pilot Monegasque to have won a Formula 1 Grand Prix and the youngest to have won with Ferrari. That in Bahrain was his tenth pole position and his third victory.

He got ready for this season in a resort in Selva di Val Gardena with his athletic trainer. The goal has been the same for years: to increase muscle mass to drive cars that are heavier and heavier. It does not disdain football and boxing and he could work in a circus given how well he can walk on his hands. She tried a vegan diet, which is not for him. He has a contract with Ferrari until 2024 worth 9 million a year.

Leclerc is engaged to Charlotte Sinè, Monegasque like him who studies architecture in Geneva. His father is Emmanuel Siné, general manager of the Société des Bains de Mer, the oldest company in Monte Carlo that manages the entertainment sector including hotels, casinos, spas and sports clubs.

Carlos Sainz

He said he signed for Ferrari in his pajamas in full lockdown. There was no time and the opportunity could not be missed, not even for those who grew up among the engines. His father is also Carlos Sainz and was one of the greatest champions in the history of rallies: with two world championships and three Dakar on the bulletin board. “Dad helped me a lot: he was the first to tell me when I was wrong, when I wasn’t doing things right. Sometimes he’s been a very bad parent, very hard on me. But this has allowed me to get where I have arrived, it has led me to be a better rider and person ». He has two sisters, to whom he is very attached. The dog Piñon often appears on his social networks.

This Spaniard, a Real Madrid fan, born in 1994, has been in Formula One for seven years. Before joining Ferrari he raced Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren. He is not a smoking or spectacular pilot, he is all solidity. He took up his home not far from Maranello for his job at Ferrari. «He You eat in an incredible way and the country where I live is very beautiful. It’s a simple life: from Monday to Friday I’m there to train, try the simulator, attend to commitments for Ferrari, meet with the technicians, grant interviews. But the personal one, affections and all, is a Madrid“. He loves the countryside, plays golf, tennis and paddle. He does not disdain good food: from pasta to pizza through Spanish specialties.