To master the new Ferrari F1-75, Carlos Sainz had to ‘completely change’ his driving style this season. That was ‘frustrating’ for Sainz, who had made great progress in the second half of the 2021 season but was now able to start again.
The season started dramatically for Sainz, who regularly retired due to engine problems or his own mistakes. That was a setback for Sainz after he finished the 2021 season strongly. Suddenly he had to adapt again to master F1-75, which he did after a few races.
“It was frustrating, especially after such a strong season with the team in which I had few problems with the car,” Sainz said. Motorsport.com. “After the first few races of 2021 I knew where the car’s limit was, all I had to do was find a few tenths in a certain kind of corner and then I could compete. That’s why I was so strong in the second half of the season.”
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This season Ferrari was a lot more competitive, but the results were nevertheless disappointing. That also came as an unpleasant surprise for Sainz. “This year we finally have a competitive car, a car with which we can go for the win. Suddenly I find myself in a position I have never been in before; I was more than two tenths off.”
“I was never more than two tenths away from my teammate,” said Sainz. It led to questions from Sainz, who wondered how Charles Leclerc got his lap times. “It was frustrating because this was the first time I had a competitive car that could go for the win.”
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He does not want to share where exactly it went wrong for Sainz. He does indicate that he had to ‘completely change’ his driving style to master F1-75. He also had to change that in a ‘very unnatural’ way. “I had to adapt to an unnatural way and make it natural. That takes a lot of time.”
