Martin Brundle admits he’s ‘always been a fan’ of 29-year-old Formula 1 driver

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Martin Brundle has admitted that he’s a huge fan of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and loves the Spaniard’s spirit.

Carlos Sainz was the only driver last season to disrupt the dominance of Red Bull as they went on to win every other race.

Speaking during the Sky Sports F1 Review Show, Martin Brundle was reflecting on the performance of the two Ferrari drivers.

There was very little to separate Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc going into the final race of the season.

The race for fourth place in the championship was on with Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris also involved.

However, a nightmare weekend for Sainz saw him put his car in the barrier in practice and a poor qualifying session saw him have to gamble on a safety car which never came.

He eventually retired from the race and fell to seventh in the standings.

Despite that result, Martin Brundle has admitted that he’s a big fan of Sainz but isn’t sure if he’s quite as quick as his teammate.

Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, Ferrari might share that viewpoint too.

With his contract set to expire next year, all of a sudden, he’s driving for his future at the team.

Brundle admits he’s a big fan of Sainz

Speaking about the Spanish driver, Brundle said: “I’ve always been a fan of Carlos Sainz, I know him from a long time ago because I like his spirit and I know his dad well and I like his mentality.

“So, you watch Carlos sort of creeping up on things. I think Charles [Leclerc] is outright faster if I’m honest, and you could argue that Charles is perhaps the very fastest driver on the grid in 2023 in terms of some of his pole position laps.

“But he hasn’t converted any of the last 12 poles Leclerc into a victory and that’s not all his fault. I think [Max] Verstappen has played a big role in that and the car and the reliability and a couple of dodgy strategy calls.”

Brundle isn’t the only person who’s a big fan of Sainz, with other teams also considering a move for him if Ferrari decide to part ways.

It would be a harsh decision if they do decide to let Sainz go, although the drivers potentially available in his place do make it a difficult decision for Frederic Vasseur.

He will always go down in the record books as the man who denied Red Bull their perfect season in 2023.

Could that be enough for Cristian Horner to consider him as a Sergio Perez replacement if they let the Mexican go?