Carlos Sainz’s progression in Formula 1 has been remarkable and the Ferrari driver feels capable of fighting for everything. This year, the ambitions of the Italian team are in that line, so the moment of truth seems to have arrived.
The Carlos Sainz who debuted with Toro Rosso in 2015 is a very different driver from the one who feels very comfortable at Ferrari today. The progression of the rider from Madrid has been spectacular and constant, so few now dare to deny that he may be capable of winning races and contesting world titles.
What Sainz is not going to lack is self-confidence, because at McLaren he already showed that he knew how to seize opportunities and in his first season with Ferrari he did nothing but endorse it. And proof of this is that it is not enough for the man from Madrid to continue adding podiums to the six that he already has, he wants more.
Give me a winning car
In the Formula 1 the mechanical component is essential and, for now, Carlos Sainz has not had the opportunity to drive a winning car. Perhaps 2022 is the year, as the F1-75 has performed perfectly in pre-season.
“This year I will continue to pursue the dream I have of winning a Formula 1 race and also being world champion, although for that you first have to get a victory,” says Carlos Sainz. “I’m going to chase it, I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but it’s what I have in my head and what I think about when I go to sleep”.
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“If the car is good enough, I’m ready for my first win, I’ve been ready for a long time. To be world champion, you need to win races and be on the podium consistently. I feel like in recent years, every time I’ve had a chance to get on the podium, I’ve done it.”emphasizes the Ferrari driver.
The closest time Carlos Sainz has been has been at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, a race in which a series of circumstances favored Pierre Gasly, who finally prevailed.
“I’ve had the opportunity to win once or twice and I’ve been close to it. I think if they give me the right car, I can do it. At Monza 2020 I think we were unlucky with that red flag, without it we would have been first and no one would have overtaken us afterwards. I watched that race for a while, it was the second fastest car and I was second the whole race », he recalls.
The importance of a two-year contract
Recently, Valtteri Bottas spoke about the decision made in his last year with Mercedes: to leave if he was not offered a contract of more than one season.
Carlos Sainz has also talked about it, stating that his greatest progression came as a result of the two-year contract that McLaren offered him.
“The Carlos you see today grew up at McLaren. They showed great confidence in me and helped me a lot with my first two-year contract., values the Madrilenian. “I am glad that Valtteri talked about the one-year contracts, I did not know if there was any difference, since he had always signed for one year with Toro Rosso, then loaned to Renault. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, the uncertainty was always there.”
“After that, I signed two years with McLaren and I told myself that I felt much calmer. I could go out on the circuit and risk more or overtake without fear. I didn’t have to go to bed thinking that after a touch with another driver my career no longer depended on what I was going to do next week », he reflects.
The atmosphere in Ferrari
But McLaren is part of the past and Ferrari is the center of all the efforts of a Carlos Sainz who begins his second season in the Italian team after a very positive first year.
With the negotiations to renew its relationship with Ferrari already advancedCarlos Sainz reflects on the pressure that exists in Maranello and that extends to all of Italy.
«There are people who have gone crazy for me in Spain, but the tifosi go crazy for a brand like Ferrari. You have the opportunity to make a whole country happy, take Ferrari to the top, it’s like playing for a National Team.”recognize.
“But what has surprised me about Ferrari is the great atmosphere we live in, we all feel like a family. Many have told me about the pressure and the great responsibility involved, but we are still a group that we get along well»he concludes.
Will this be the year of Ferrari? We will see it from this Friday in Bahrain.
Source: Beyond The Grid