Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will begin the 2021 Form🌼ula 1 season with equal status, according to Ferrari team bꦗoss Mattia Binotto.

New dౠriver signing Carlos Sainz will join the team as Leclerc’s teammate for next season, having replaced four-time world champion and Aston Martin-bound Sebastian Vettel.

Leclerc, who 🌃comprehensively beat Vettel across the last two seasons, is heading into his third year at Ferrari, but Binott💧o insisted there would be no favouritism towards the Monegasque at the start of the new season.

"There is nothing written in the contract of Charles [about] him bei🅺ng the leader," Binotto told reporters on Friday in a virtual video call which replaced Ferrari’s traditional Christmas media lunch.

🍒"It is important they will not damage themselves. They will haꦰve equal opportunities at the start of the season.

"The top priority is to maximise the team points and it may be that in some races the two are accepting decisions to optimis✨e the team's interests but by doing the team interest we are helpi༺ng the driver interest.

"And later ♉in the season if one has a clear advantage and one can achieve something the oth𒆙er can't, it will be an open discussion [about team orders].”

Asked what he is expected from Sainz, who joins Ferrari from McLaren after finishing sixth in the 2020 championship, Binotto r🌱eplied: "I expect him to contribute to the constructors' championship. It is important to have two drivers doing ver✅y well in the car.

"By doing well in the constructors' championship, it means the two drivers are doing well in the drivers' classification. I am hoping and pretty sure that Carlos will hel✨p us in terms of doing better in terms of constructors.

"I am expecting him to be a great team-mate and I am exꦡpecting he is a hard worker. He is a leader and I expect him to help develop the team in the future."