In with the new...generation!

Sainz feels that 2021 is going to be a transitional year for him to get up to speed for 2022, but he does not rule out becoming a race winner sooner than later. The introduction of the new regulations will mark the birth of a new generation of cars that will mix things up in the field.

“Every time you go to Ferrari there is always the possibility to become a race winner. It doesn’t matter about the situation or how the car is performing” he said.

“When you go to Ferrari, you always have that feeling that the first race win could come, but at the same time I know we are going into a strange period”.

“Full focus is going to be on 2022 and starting with the right foot with that new generation of cars. I feel next year is going to be tricky for me, also with the lack of testing and preparation going into my first season with Ferrari. But I’m going to try and adapt as quickly as possible to the car and see where we are, how the Ferrari is working next year, which hopefully is better than this year”.

“2022 is going to be more about who adapts quicker to the new generation of cars and who masters how to driver those cars and the driving style required”

Sainz on the feeling of becoming a Ferrari driver: “It didn’t sink in until Monza”

Carlos Sainz and Ferrari officialized their reciprocal commitments in May, but it wasn’t until September with the Italian GP at Monza that the Spaniard properly realized it.

The announcement came during the lockdown, hence it was impossible for Sainz to witness any relevant reactions from fans and paddock personalities.

What really struck him was the amount of love he received from Italian people and fans, though they were not allowed into the track this year.

“It didn’t sink in during the lockdown because you don’t go to the paddock, everything stopped. It felt like the real world wasn’t happening”.

“It didn’t really kick in until Monza. - he revealed - It was the weekend when, as soon as I landed in Italy, I started to feel more fanbase, more people coming to me recognizing me. It started to have a positive effect on me, because I just enjoyed the impact that I was having by all those fans coming to be in restaurants, out of the circuit, inside the circuit”

“I could see so many nervous fans just by meeting me, and I never had that feeling before!”

A blast for the future: McLaren vs Ferrari

Following an unsuccessful stint with Honda, McLaren slowly started bouncing back by following Zak Brown and Andreas Seidl’s vision. The most impactful decision made by the German team principal in 2019 was to switch to Mercedes power units from 2021 onwards, which contributed to McLaren’s progressive rise to consistent point-paying results.

Sainz believes the Woking-based outfit is “on the right path into becoming a winning team again” and thinks it will soon challenge for race wins based on sheer competitiveness.

“I want to think it is a matter of time that McLaren is going to win a race again, not to win it like Monza [Pierre Gasly in 2020] but on merit”.

“I believe in this project and in the people here. I would love to be fighting with McLaren for race wins in 2021 or 2022” he added.

Job-hopping or full-blown loyalty?

A long-term commitment with a single team leads to a more accurate car development with higher chances of tangible progress.

“The more time you spend with one car, the more you master it” said Sainz

Sainz corroborated his opinion by pointing out that drivers who proved loyalty to teams for several years translated their experience into a productive and direct influence on car development.

“The best examples out there are with Lewis, Checo and Verstappen, that spent quite a lot of time in the same car or in the same team developing the car a bit towards their feeling and their direction”.

Sainz’s ideal F1 calendar

Asked for an opinion on short weekends, Carlos Sainz stated he has “mixed feelings” about two-day Grands Prix.

“F1 teams are given too much practice and it’s nice to test ourselves in terms of how well-prepared we can arrive to a race weekends.

But at the same time I don’t like short weekends. Personally I would like to have an 18-to-20-race calendar where we go to the races and we activate the race as much as possible”.

Sainz suggested F1 could ramp up fanbase-oriented activities “on Fridays and Thursdays when the calendar is less demanding in terms of races”, having cities directly involved with more events.

The length of single race is a matter which is often extended to the amount of races in a year in relation to the duration of the season.

The lockdown might have thwarted Sainz’s early celebrations and emotions related to his Ferrari move, but it certainly did not hold him back athletically.

“I found it a bit easier than expected” he said

“Three months of full stop helped a lot to recharge the batteries and go to 17 races straight. If you start in February or March and go on until December, it is going to be very demanding”