Sainz: “It doesn’t bother me that Red Bull didn’t sign me, I prefer Williams, who was looking for me from the beginning”

Among the dozens of commitments that pilots have to a another GP and special as in Vegas, Ferrari mentioned MD through videoconference to talk exclusively Carlos Sainz at 8:00 pm That means 5 am in Spain, MD spoke to the Madrid native about his last few races at Ferrari and the incomprehensible situation he experienced this year, when Red Bull and mercedes They did not take advantage of the fact that he freely signed him for 2025. The politics of F1. The Spaniard thought about it three times before packing his bags to go Williams.

How do you approach this Las Vegas Grand Prix knowing it’s your last or best chance to win a race in your last three Ferrari races?

I agree that this may be the best chance to win at the end of the year, but not the last. There are 3 races left and of those left, in theory, this one in Las Vegas is the best. But this year it’s true that things have changed a little bit and while last year we did very well in the cold, because of those conditions we put energy into the wheel, this year it’s completely the opposite. So although the circuit suited our car, the temperatures did not. So we have to see what happens in the end. A win would be an ideal way to continue to say goodbye to the second half of the season with Ferrari and last season in red on a good note.

How did Carlos who arrived with such enthusiasm at Ferrari in 2021, at Maranello, at the first test, improve into the driver he is today? In what aspect?

I’m sure I’ve improved on all of them. In the end, four years of Formula One and four years in a team like Ferrari, four years as a partner of a great driver like Charles (Leclerc), because in the end all these things add up to gain experience, learn things. and improve as a driver. One thing that certainly hasn’t changed is the desire with which I entered, the same one with which I said goodbye as a Ferrari driver and always, obviously, trying to give my best. I remember that I came to this project with a lot of enthusiasm, with a lot of desire and that desire is definitely still intact.

His time at Ferrari established him as one of the best on the grid.

Well, I was given the opportunity at Ferrari to fight for podiums and victories and I think when there were opportunities to win races and make podiums, personally I think I will always be there. Then there were weekends when I was able to finish them better than others, but that was there, for sure. I’m happy in that sense, very happy to have four victories in F1, to have achieved them with Ferrari, to have achieved them in very different, very specific weekends and nothing, now, obviously looking to the future, to try to achieve the following. I am proud of these four years at Ferrari.

Your best Ferrari moment?

Well, I would say Singapore 2023 and Mexico 2024. I think those two are unique. It was really emotional for me to win Australia 2024, because it came from appendicitis and winter. And the first victory at Silverstone, which was very emotional. But as a joint team and driver, those two occasions were probably the best.

And the hardest? Is the beginning of the year 2022 the thorn in your side?

Without a doubt, because it was the first time in my career that I encountered a very important challenge ahead, which was adapting to a car where I couldn’t run fast at the start. I had to change a lot of things about my driving style to adapt to that car. But it’s also true, and now, when I look back, it’s what I’m most proud of, because I went through five or six very difficult races and then, from the seventh or eighth race, I started to improve a lot, Started I made more podiums, I was on pole at Spa and in Austin, the last race I could have won if the first corner with Russell hadn’t happened to me. And I became a stronger driver, because I had to expand my range of driving styles and that became a more complete driver, because while I was new I was a driver capable of driving only 75% of Formula 1 cars , I found myself in that 25% where I couldn’t walk fast and I was able to adapt. And now I can say that I believe I can adapt to anything in F1.

If a year ago they told you that by 2024 the F1 market would be insane, would you have believed it?

No, no… because I thought it would be really similar. Above all, I entered the winter of 2023 thinking and almost 90% sure that I would renew my contract with Ferrari and that would quickly take me out of the market. And in the end it wasn’t like that.

You’re one of the best drivers on the grid, but you won’t have one of the best cars in 2025. Readers wonder: ‘How is this possible?’ How do we explain this to them?

Well, Fernando Alonso is one of the best and he doesn’t have a very good car either. Hamilton this year, because he’s one of the best and he doesn’t have the best car. The thing is that in Formula 1, unfortunately, the best car belongs to only one or two drivers in a team. This year we are lucky to have three or four teams fighting for victories on many occasions, but the truth is that there are very good drivers in Formula 1 that if they are not at the right time and in the right place they will not go to win races, and next year I may not be in the place where at that moment the team is fighting for victories, but that does not mean that I will not be able to do them in the future.

My goal in going to Williams is to find a way to fight for victories again. I always use the McLaren example. Where was McLaren three or four years ago and where is it now? It can change quickly and you always have to give it your best to see when that opportunity comes again.

I ask you another way. At MD we have been critical of the fact that Mercedes and Red Bull did not take the opportunity to sign him for the 2025 season do you think you have become a victim of F1 politics? Because you deserve a winning car.

But everyone is a victim of politics in F1, not just me. I don’t want to play the victim in this situation, far from it, because all drivers are victims of many variables and many things that teams consider when signing a driver. And it’s not just speed and talent. There are many other variables as to why an F1 driver ends up with a certain team. And well, ultimately, in that sense, I see it now with more philosophy. Above all, the case of Red Bull. I think I’m not the only driver Red Bull is looking for at the moment, in the team situation they have, because I’m not the profile of the driver they prefer to have. And it doesn’t bother me. I prefer to go for an option like Williams, who is looking for me from the beginning and a project that motivates me and where I believe I will have good opportunities in the future.

They didn’t sign you because you were number one and at Red Bull they wanted number two.

No, I didn’t say that. That’s what you’re saying.

Perfect, I made it clear that this is my opinion and let’s move on to another question. If Ferrari wins in 2025, will you feel in some way that part of that victory is yours too, thanks to your development over the years with the car?

Yes. Honestly, I feel part of this car’s development over the last three or four years. Ultimately, the driver is a key part of the team’s gears and how the car is built. We were the ones giving the instructions and I think, along with Charles, we both obviously had a very significant influence on how the car was built, agreeing on many occasions. And yes, I think the drivers are a major part of that development, especially because we’re the ones giving the directions on what we need in the car.

And yes, I’m also proud that, for example, from last year to this year we made it our mission to improve in the race. We changed some things during the winter, which we were convinced and wanted to push in that direction, and this year’s race car is a different world compared to last year’s car at race pace. These are examples that ultimately make me feel part of that progress.

He reiterated that he left the door open for Ferrari in the future. Why do you have this belief that you can wear red again?

Because I’m not closing any doors on Ferrari or any team. In F1, unfortunately, there are only ten teams and the last thing you want to do is close the doors because you don’t know when you’ll need them again and when you’ll want to go back to a team. And the worst thing you can do is take away a ten percent chance of being in F1 by closing the door badly on a team.

I’m going to leave the door open to Ferrari, like I’ve left open to all the teams I’ve been through because you never know when you’re going to need them, when the opportunity to come back to that team will arise. And more at Ferrari if possible, because I have a very good relationship with everyone who works at Ferrari, nothing has broken at Ferrari in terms of relationships or situations, it’s just an event that has been put together: which is a seven-fold wish the world champion (Hamilton) went to Ferrari and in that sense, well, I had to leave. But I don’t close the door on anyone and I never will.

Thank you very much, Carlos. Good luck in Las Vegas.

Thanks to you