These are the hidden reasons that explain Sainz’s giant leap forward at Ferrari

To succeed in F1 it is not enough to be the fastest driver. Pure speed can help you shine on a given day. But not to go further. A good pilot must be fast, but he needs more than the hands. It is necessary to control multiple other aspects. A pilot can improve and learn in many areas by repeating and adding experiences. But some of those important things are no longer learned. This is the case with elements as important as each pilot’s sensitivity in finding settings. suitable for car, the correct reading of the race and the intelligence and clarity to determine what to do at each moment of the race.

Anyone who knows Carlos Sainz knows that he changes the circuit. It becomes the closest thing to a robot programmed to constantly think about the tenth it can win here and there, breaking the bank to improve this and that. Work, work and more work that the engineers also appreciated during their many hours at the factory (for that reason they moved to live near Maranello). Now, all this greatly influences the final result.

Key but brutal process

The Spaniard suffered greatly in 2022 to adapt to the new car regulations. I had to think about everything I did. It did not come naturally to him, and that, in a sport of thousandths, paid off. Criticism rained down on him for not taking advantage of a winning car as Leclerc did at the start of that season, something that lasted until Red Bull woke up. But in the shadows, Carlos didn’t give up. He lowered his head and assimilated everything that is foreign to him but needed to be fast with that car until he reached the point where it came naturally to him.

The fruits of that difficult and long process are now being reaped. In a car with similar styling, he took the step forward that was asked of him. In Italy they said he had to be ‘a killer’ and he didn’t have the last tenth after one lap in Q3. No longer. He secured the last two pole positions in undisputed fashion. He did this because he now trusts his car. “I feel like the car and I are one now,” he said before Singapore. There is one most important key.

A lighthouse for Ferrari

It is key to understand the past process in order to understand that now Carlos Sainz Yes, he can make differences in his efficiency in settings.

his father, Carlos Sainz senior, if he ever gets mad at him in karting is if his son gets off the kart without knowing what setting changes have been applied. I have to know everything, completely master the set up. And now he makes more of a difference than ever with his good instructions to the engineers. By getting more comfortable with the car and understanding it better, he gets out of the car in Free Practice 1 and gives more refined and concrete feedback. to reach the perfect balance sooner. So, you come better prepared for qualifying, with confidence, to finish in pole position if you have the car for it. It was a beacon for Ferrari. For example, at Monza, Leclerc had to copy the settings. And at Zandvoort, while Charles lost, Carlos was 5th in a complicated car.

Performance under pressure

Being comfortable in the car also allows you show your ability to withstand pressure and perform at 100% the more the steering wheel burns. In Monza his wrist was not shaking to take pole position against the tifosi. Neither made a good start after the first start was canceled minutes before. And he perfectly started from the pole in Singapore. In Zandvoort, in the final laps of the event, now without tires, a 7-time champion like Hamilton couldn’t get past him. In Monza, Verstappen and Pérez sweat to beat him has a superior car and made Leclerc strong with fewer wheels. And in Singapore he withstood pressure from Russell throughout the raceand not only that, he once again showed his immense intelligence, the last and most important point highlighted.

Reading intelligence and race: it’s nothing new

What Sainz showed in Singapore cannot be learned. ‘Naughty’ and can read races. Yesand either you have it or you don’t. And this is something that is not new.

In 2021, he upset McLaren in Austin When he had to get back into position with Norris, he did so between turns 10 and 11, just before the DRS detection line, to take advantage of that DRS to immediately regain position in front of Lando. He used the same tactic this year in a good fight with Pérez in Austria. AND In 2022, he corrected his team’s strategy in Monaco, touching success, and at Silverstone he repeated the famous ‘stop inventing’ that ended his first victory. In those two races, Charles could have done the same thing but he didn’t. and that made the difference. Charles doesn’t have that intelligence behind the wheel which allows Sainz to take better advantage of the circumstances.

Singapore is the prime example. He started from pole with a car that suffered greater degradation and had a lower race speed. In its favor is the narrowness of the track and the walls. He didn’t panic and dared to slow down the race to compact the group and thus prevent the Mercedes from stopping early to attack him because they would fall into traffic.. So, he manages the wheels thinking about the end. And in decisive laps, with worn tires and with the Mercedes flying with new rubber, he told his team to give him a reference with a Norris which was 2nd and also had no wheels. At Ferrari they don’t know what he wants to do.

“It was his idea,” said the boss, Frédéric Vasseur.. Instead of shooting, he played by lifting his foot a bit so that Norris could get close to him and benefit from his DRS in the straight. So, Norris can defend himself against Mercedes. If they didn’t pass Lando, their victory was assured. This is what happened. Intelligence and hands. Master combination.