March 29, 2024

Carlos Sainz gets a new contract

Carlos Sainz gets a new contract

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Carlos Sainz and Ferrari are likely to extend their current contract, which runs until the end of 2022, prematurely. This was considered a bad secret in Formula 1 anyway, but after Sainz finished second in Ferrari’s double win in Bahrain (Race analysis on Formel1.de YouTube channel) Almost officially announced.

Carlos Sainz is relieved by Mattia Binotto after the race in Bahrain

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“We are close,” Sainz said at Ferrari’s post-race media event. “Very close. Very, very close. Very close. Very, very close. Almost there.” Team boss Mattia Binotto is no longer trying to maintain tension for the expected press release: “We’ve reached an agreement. It’s just a matter of putting it on paper now.”

Bahrain wasn’t the season opener Sainz was hoping for. Although he equaled his best result so far in Formula 1 with second place (Monza 2020 with McLaren and 2021 Monaco with Ferrari), the gap between teammate Charles Leclerc was larger throughout the race weekend than in the 2021 season.

Self-critical Sainz said he was “more late than ever during my time at Ferrari” in the free practice sessions, “which is also why I can’t be completely satisfied despite the two. It was even the most difficult thing for me.” The weekend since I’ve been driving for Ferrari, and that proves that I have to put my head down and understand the car first.”

“I have to see where Charles will make the difference with his driving style, how he approaches the corners and handles the tyres, also in the race. Because I have to improve if I want to win. Can I improve by the end of next week? I think so. Can I eliminate Definitely impotent? That’s a very good question.”


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It was “obvious”, says Sainz, that he was “poor” in Bahrain: “I didn’t drive the way you should drive that way. Charles did it better. He was faster all weekend. I only managed two good laps in The second and third quarters. But other than that, I always gave up three tenths.”

“It’s a gap I never got in 2021. I’ve never been three tenths behind. This is new to me. I have to figure out where those three or four tenths come from, and if I know that, then I have to ‘tun the car exactly to my liking and learn” How to drive it better. Then I’m sure I can win races too. “

before his third pit stop On lap 44, Sainz was 17.9 seconds behind Leclerc. This corresponds to an average of 0.4 seconds per lap. His gap with Verstappen was 12.9 seconds at the time. Without the safety car stage and the late technical problems of Red Bull, third place would not have been possible.

“I had a good chance at the start of the second half because I got too far from Charles and Max,” recalls Sainz. “But Max defended himself really well, I must say. Then I suddenly saw the red tail light flashing. I said to myself: This is my chance now!” And I risked it. Bad luck, because he should have been in second place. But good for Ferrari. “

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The 27-year-old Spaniard admitted that overtaking Verstappen on your own was “very difficult”: “It was my turn several times before the first turn, but they seem to have a very good top speed. It was never enough. He defended well, and then It was very close because the DRS area ended a few meters early.”

“Then he started having problems. From that point of view, I have to consider myself lucky that I passed him and got second. But Max has been driving really well all weekend. I feel sorry for him. On the other hand, you have to say that: in terms of Reliability, we did a very good job, and that’s what matters.”

He says happily: “Ferrari is back. And rightly so, with a double win. This is where the team should have been for the past two years. Now the hard work is worth it. For me personally it was a tough weekend, nothing to paint Sugar. But at least I managed to get a double win for the team.”