Carlos Sainz: “Winning at Ferrari is the most you can hope for as a driver”

Carlos Sainz, who is facing his second season at Ferrari, where he is fulfilling “a dream”, admitted that winning with the Italian team is “the most you can hope for as a driver” and expressed that in “great step taken. from last year to this” we have to consider the goal of fighting for the title in 2023.

Carlos Sainz (Madrid, 1994), despite his youth, is a veteran of the Formula One circuit, where he is celebrating his eighth season. His dream is to compete next season against Dutch Max Verstappen, who has dominated his Red Bull for the last two years.

The driver from Madrid attended EFE, in an event organized by Estrella Galicia, to talk about the sporting moment he is going through and his future prospects at Ferrari, where his media exposure has increased since he arrived last year.

After Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, three races in three weeks, how are you doing on this active break?

We are halfway through the season. Difficult races like in Singapore are coming up, a lot of travel, jet lag, and you have to find the relationship between rest and activation to arrive as prepared as possible for what’s left.

The next stop was Singapore, a circuit he knew well. What do you expect from that race?

It will be very difficult physically because it is always so in the humidity and heat. This is the most difficult race in the World Championship and that is why I will take advantage of it this week to train in high temperatures and acclimatize myself. I think this is a circuit that can do well for the car and it can give us a good chance to go for a victory that will be great before the end of the season.

There are six World Cup races left. How do you see the season finale?

I would like to have a consistent end of the season, especially with so much that happened to us this year. I want to have a calm last part of the season, for less things to happen to us and to get the rhythm and moments for next year, which will be a new opportunity.

For the next year, what are you asking of the Ferrari project?

The basis is. We have a solid foundation this year with a very good car and the team is improving. We have to try to improve some things like reliability and consistency but we have to remember that this year we fought against a team like Red Bull who do things perfectly. We have to learn and we will make them like this next year.

Will we see Ferrari fighting for the title in 2023?

I think. This year we will fight for the title if we have done things a bit better and had a bit of luck at the beginning of the season and why not think that next year there is a new opportunity and it can be achieved. Ferrari, after the big step it made from last year to this one, needs to set that goal.

Last year he made four podiums. This year a victory and six other podiums. How do you rate the season, are you satisfied?

Actually not one hundred percent. There were many good moments and moments that I will never forget, like that first victory, but it was a bit of a roller coaster because there were difficult moments. It is difficult to pick up the pace and a run of results this season, there have been reliability problems and consistency is what can lead you to fight for a title. This is what needs to be improved and I want to start practicing it.

After Monza, most of the international press described Max Verstappen as elusive and unattainable. What do you think of those qualifications?

Not only Verstappen, but also Red Bull. Verstappen is having a year of ten but Red Bull has not failed in anything. Not in strategy or when making important decisions. The penalties they put in races where they know they will have the strongest car. They are having a very complete season and that makes them hard to beat. Intractable and unattainable no. Every race we will have a chance and we will try.

You are 28 years old and this is your eighth season in Formula One. Have you ever stopped to think about it?

I don’t think so, when I remember that I’ve been in Formula One for eight years. That’s when I realized how fast time goes. I think I made my debut in Australia yesterday. I have very close memories, I remember every race. To think that I will be 28 years old in eight years is unbelievable. I don’t know if I have more than 150 races in Formula One, which is a lot for my age.

When you’re in a car at this speed, how do you manage your emotions?

It’s something I’ve been handling since I was ten years old. I give a Formula One race the same importance as a kart race. You want to do your best and it’s something I’ve been doing since I was little. It came within me to know how to manage the race and it was muscle memory. You always make mistakes, you always have better days than others, but you always do something different.

Is that management skilled?

It is an accumulation of experience that I have been practicing since I was eleven years old and you are practicing, improving and polishing. This is what leads us to be a Formula One driver and Formula One driver to be the best in the world. You compete with people who are at a similar level and manage things in a similar way.

Is a pilot afraid?

No, I didn’t feel scared. The day I was afraid to stop. It’s something I can’t risk taking on a qualifying lap, starting or doing a fast lap. I’m sure this is something that will blow you away.

How does Ferrari handle media exposure?

This is something I have been warned about before. They told me to be prepared because the press in Italy will be really hard and how big Ferrari is in the world, but until you’re inside you don’t realize the attention it attracts. A lot of criticism, especially this year. I’ve read disproportionate criticism of the team but it’s part of the beauty. Being a part of such a great organization and an icon of the motor world makes me proud. I don’t see it as a problem.

Did the dream of being with Ferrari come true?

Yes, I think it’s any pilot’s dream. Being part of this team and winning is the most you can hope for as a racing driver.

How do you see Fernando Alonso’s season at Alpine?

He had a great season and his project for next year with Aston Martin also looks good. Soon he will go up there with his urges. I see him calm and eager.