Last year, compared to Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz needed a certain amount of time to get used to the first Formula 1 car of the new rule era. Now, with a year of experience, he wants to start the 2023 season on the right foot.
“I’m always optimistic and I hope it will go faster this time,” says the Spaniard. “Over the past year I’ve gone through some obviously difficult moments. We had a car that required a certain, very specific driving style.”
“In those moments I adjusted and made it – a little late for my liking, but I adjusted.” This makes the Ferrari driver confident for the start of the new season, his third with the Scuderia.
“The car should have evolved and I felt like I was very close to the car’s limit last year and was driving at a very high level. So I’m confident I can pick up where I left off, and take a step in the right direction.”
“I also hope that the car can adapt a little better to my driving style and that I can get off to a strong start to the season,” adds Sainz, clearing up a rumor from last season.
“I feel like there was a trend of people saying the car was going my way. But that’s not true. I’m going to say frankly now that a Formula 1 car doesn’t go my way or other driver developed.”
Sainz: Pre-season started earlier than usual
“A Formula 1 car evolves to be faster. My job as a driver is to provide clues as to where the car is weak. I give that feedback, as does Charles. The team takes it and provides it faces data, draws his conclusions and hopes that the car will then be faster.”
This is exactly what happened in preparation for the upcoming season. Sainz completed a handful of simulator sessions for this. “Normally you do about 100 laps per session,” he calculates. “So the preparation went well.”
Sainz has also been in Maranello for various meetings since the second week of January: “Because November and December felt very long and we ended the year very early, I probably started here in Maranello a little earlier than in other years to work for the engineers.”
“It’s very clear in our heads where we want to make the steps and what we’re focusing on. I think pre-season has been smooth for us so far. Now it’s a matter of executing a plan, a very specific plan that we have for Bahrain , and implement it as well as possible,” says Sainz.
“I can become an even better driver”
As for his skills as a driver, he has “very clear ideas” about where he wants to improve and in which areas he wants to make a step. “I’ve worked hard over the winter to be well prepared and I’m confident I can do it and become an even better driver.”
The fact that despite the difficulties mentioned last year he was still able to win a race and achieve various podium finishes gives him additional motivation.
“So I know that once I find my groove this year and feel comfortable in the car, I’ll be able to perform very well. So I’m very excited about what’s to come this year and what I can do as a driver can reach.”
Is he even ready to fight for the title? “To be honest, I probably wasn’t ready with last year’s car,” says Sainz. If the championship had been run with the 2021 car, I think I would have been ready.”
“I proved in my first year at Ferrari that I’m ready for anything that comes. But last year I found myself in that position. That can happen. There will always be cars that are made just for you, and other cars that make you feel like you’re missing that little bit.”
Even if that was the case last year, Sainz believes he can benefit from it in the long term. “That’s what I mean when I talk about improving and analyzing yourself and letting all the experiences from last year flow into this year. That’s very helpful,” concluded the Ferrari driver.