With the season already decided and both championships practically closed, Carlos Sainz and Ferrari are preparing to take advantage of the last remaining races to get off to a good start in 2023 in which they are confident of being at the top again.
In his first year at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz he managed to beat his teammate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings ultimately thanks to, among other things, a podium finish in Abu Dhabi while the Monegasque concluded his 2021 season by crossing the finish line in 10th position.
The #55 arrived at the Scuderia with the experience of having passed through three different teams in the six years he had been in Formula 1, a baggage that, however, little has helped him in the first bars of a 2022 season in which the real protagonist has been the new generation of single-seaters.
“Fifth or fourth place doesn’t change my life, I only care about winning”
Their driving style It does not fit at all with the requirements that these aerodynamically simplified cars demand with respect to their predecessors, and the Spaniard had a hard time until, finally, he has found a way to make it not negatively influence him on the track.
Nevertheless, Ferrari’s brilliant start ultimately came to nothing after Red Bull and Max Verstappen took over with several updates. The man from Madrid is already preparing to refine the weak points of the F1-75 to start in 2023 with a single-seater that performs from the start and in all circumstances.
Loading tweet…
1579913474955628545
Without giving up
“I believe that we have a competitive car wherever we go», confessed Sainz already in Austin in statements collected by BRAND. “We almost always fight for the pole positionBut fighting for wins is a bit more difficult, because somehow Red Bull always manages to take a step that we can’t.”
the streak of poles de Leclerc in Monza and Singapore was nipped in the bud in Japan by a Red Bull that has won more times than the #16 himself when he has achieved that privileged position, a whole series of missed opportunities that Sainz refuses to lose next year as well.
“We are working on that, using the last four races to experiment a bit and see how we can be more competitive in the race. Fifth or fourth place doesn’t change my life, I only care about winning and finishing a good season. This year has not been easy », he explained.
“In any case, I’d rather win another race before the end of the year than finish fourth. For us it is important to win even more and be more consistent, I prefer to focus on that than on the championship », she added, aware of how difficult this task will be.
clarification needed
Finally, Sainz gave his point of view on the situation he faces Red Bull together with the FIA: an excess of the budget limit that the governing body of Formula 1 intends to settle in secret with a new private agreement.
“I think everyone teams and drivers just want clarity First of all,” he stated bluntly. “We all know how much one, two, three or four million can do in the development of the cars and speed in Formula 1. If there is a cost limit, it must be followed and I only hope that the FIA makes the right decisions to ensure that Let everyone follow him.”
Where then lies the key to Verstappen’s championship? “They have been strong in areas where we haven’t been. Congratulations to him and Red Bull, they totally deserve it. 8 years is a lot of years in F1, from day one to 8th year you evolve a lot, and he is evolving in all areas », he concluded.