the unexpected leader at Ferrari

Having obtained his best ranking last season (5th) for his first season at Ferrari, the transplant took perfectly between Carlos Sainz and the legendary Italian team. His threat should increase this season.

When Carlos Sainz arrived at Ferrari, the uncertainties were much stronger than the guarantees with a multitude of questions at stake. How could this 27-year-old driver, having known ups and downs in his career, be able to succeed, in a structure so special as the Scuderia can be?

Especially after the cataclysm of 2020 and the departure of Sebastian Vettel. Even if the German was declining on his end of collaboration with Ferrari, you never take the place of a quadruple world champion in a snap of your fingers! However, in his first season, the Spaniard obtained the same ranking as the German in 2019!

After two seasons at Mc Laren (twice 6th), one could still wonder about what the enthronement of Carlos Sainz at Ferrari could give. Especially, we repeat, as the Scuderia was coming out of a terrible season. The end result in 2021 was stunning:

A 5th place in the drivers’ classification with four podiums! If Charles Leclerc admitted sometimes sharing moments of relaxation with his teammate during a few games of chess, padel or golf, the Monegasque also discovered a badass on the track:

 » One of Carlos’ great strengths is to be there all the time. At each race, he is at the rendezvous » likes to recall Leclerc.

« At each race, he is there »

One of the great keys to the success of the Madrilenian is to be found in his extreme determination. As he recently confided:

“I had a lot of fun. I think it’s been one of my favorite seasons in F1, in terms of enjoying and enjoying the sport. This last season has however been quite eventful, with a lot of races, but also a lot of good times. I managed to have fun and at the same time I managed to improve throughout the year.

I said it: it’s quite easy for me to remember that I’m realizing a dream: that of driving for the best team in Formula 1 and the most historic team in the discipline. It’s been a dream come true since I was a kid to drive for Ferrari. Remembering these kinds of things, I always approach the weekend with anticipation, always with energy, always trying to learn and become better”.

A degree of performance and a desire that call for the greatest respect. Franck Montagny (Canal+) even admits his great astonishment:

 » I am still surprised by the performance of this driver at Ferrari. He settled in very well and very quickly. Without major shortcoming, we must also remember from him that he is a huge worker. It works very well because it also knows how to adapt to different situations. He does a lot of good at Ferrari. Frankly, with Charles, they form a beautiful duo. They are very Italian in the sense that they are very close to Ferrari. This team has really found a great tandem that will last”.

Carlos Sainz on pole to become leader at Ferrari

We understood it. 2022 is a hyper decisive season for Ferrari. The Scuderia is totally in reconquest. Not to say in search of its glorious past. With his racing experience, his consistency and his well-measured aggressiveness, Sainz landed in the Scuderia like a glove. The Spaniard will still want to move up a gear this season.

 » With a high goal, you demand more of yourself during the season. I can’t say if I’ve fulfilled everything or not, but I knew that I would have a difficult season of adaptation, especially at the start. The most important thing was to finish the year stronger than at the start of the season, with good progress. I think I filled it. This new season, I imagine two extremes.

A team that succeeds and wins with a serious lead. Or the other extreme which would be a completely homogeneous season. This is what I want. Last season, we saw the drivers make the difference. There could be seven or eight world champions on the grid right now…”.

Out of modesty, the Spaniard probably doesn’t include himself in this list. But his opponents are not fooled. They know how feared he is. His first Grand Prix victory should not be long in coming!

FRANCK MONTAGNY’S OPINION

“He has no positives, but he has no negatives. He proved that he knew how to be consistent. He will want to continue to grow and become more important. He is more than motivated to confirm that he has his place at Ferrari. »

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