Jody Scheckter admits that 29-year-old F1 driver is so much faster than he expected him to be

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Former Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter has admitted that he’s been surprised by how quick Ferrari star Carlos Sainz has been.

Ferrari are currently facing a conundrum with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s contract expiring at the end of next season.

In an interview with Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Scheckter has admitted the 29-year-old Spaniard has surpassed his expectations.

It appears as though Frederic Vasseur is ready to back Leclerc to be his number-one driver for the foreseeable future.

The Monegasque racer looks set to sign a long-term contract with Ferrari that would potentially see him with the team until 2029.

This leaves Carlos Sainz in a difficult position with Ferrari unsure whether to keep him on, but Jody Scheckter has praised the Spaniard.

Sainz prevented Red Bull from making history last season by denying them a clean sweep of Grand Prix victories in 2023.

He took the chequered flag in Singapore after a tense battle with Lando Norris and the Mercedes drivers.

However, his teammate finished above him in the Drivers’ Championship and regularly out-qualified him throughout the season.

Ferrari’s one-lap pace was their strength in 2023 with the car struggling on longer runs compared to Red Bull.

Leclerc got the most out of the car in those situations but Sainz was far from outclassed by his teammate.

Scheckter impressed with Ferrari star Sainz

Talking about the Spanish driver, Scheckter said: “Sainz proved to be better than I thought, he’s up to the task.”

Next season is going to be huge for not just Sainz but plenty of other drivers on the grid.

After a year of relative stability in Formula 1, 2024 is expected to see a big shake-up in the driver’s market.

The likes of Alex Albon at Williams and Sergio Perez at Red Bull see their contracts expire.

This means every team will be looking to put together the strongest line-up possible ahead of the major rule changes in 2026.

Ferrari should potentially heed Scheckter’s praise of Sainz and understand that the partnership they’ve got right now is one of the strongest on the grid.

However, a certain Lando Norris is also taking their fancy and with his deal at McLaren expiring in 2025, they might look to hold onto Sainz for now before the Brit potentially becomes available.