This week Carlos Sainz had his first contact with Ferrari in a battery of tests with the Italian team. After a day and a half driving the 2018 SF71H, the Spaniard completed 163 laps and nearly 500 kilometers on the Maranello team’s track.
Ferrari’s new driver was as fast from the start as his new teammate Charles Leclerc.
The two drivers form one of the youngest pairs on the Formula 1 grid, although both have plenty of experience to put Scuderia back in top positions after a tough 2020.
“All teams go through difficult times, it is part of F1, but the important thing is the ability to react,” said Sainz in his first interview with Ferrari. “History shows that teams that have won in the past are able to be competitive again.”
“Scuderia is the most successful team in history and there is reason to believe that if there is any team that can return to the front it is Ferrari. I have complete confidence in the project and, even if it takes a while, I am sure that, in the end, the team will return on the way to victory. I will do my best to make this time as short as possible, ”he said.
“I don’t think age is such an important factor. What counts is experience. I’m only 26, but I’ve been in F1 for six seasons and I’ve been on three teams before coming to Ferrari. Charles is 23, but his fourth season is starting, the third here. He knows the car and Maranello perfectly ”, he explained.
“Although we are so young, we are not newbies and we understand very well what it means to race for Ferrari. I look forward to taking on this responsibility and I am sure that, together with him, we will be able to give the team motivation, passion, and the will to win ”.
After just a day and a half taking over the red team’s cockpit, Sainz is ambitious and sure of his goals.
“From the first day I started racing, I had only two goals in mind: to become an F1 driver and win the title. After reaching the first, all my energy and efforts are focused on trying to get the second, and there is no better place to get it than Ferrari. The ambition is to help form a winning team, bring Scuderia back to the top, where it should be, and win the title. ”
The pilot also sent a message committing himself to the fans of the Italian team.
“To all fans, I want to guarantee my total and absolute commitment. You can be sure that I will do everything I can to make you proud. I will guide with all my heart in all races and work hard off the track to help the team improve even more. With your support, I am convinced that we will achieve this soon. It is an honor to compete for the best fans in the world ”, he concluded
