“Becoming a World Champion is my highest ambition,” Carlos Sainz aims to emulate Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari success

“Becoming a World Champion is my highest ambition,” Carlos Sainz aims to emulate Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari success

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz moved from McLaren to Ferrari in 2021 and finished ahead of his teammate and longtime Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc. The Spaniard finished P5 in the 2021 World Drivers’ Championship, behind the four drivers of Mercedes and Red Bull. 

Sainz, who was making his debut with Ferrari, was expected to be outperformed by his teammate, who has been with Ferrari since 2019. Yet it was the Spaniard who, with his experience and consistency came out on top. Carlos Sainz won 164.5 points and finished as high as P2 in the 2021 season.

The Spanish driver is expected to improve his performance in the 2022 season. His performances will highly depend on the car built by Ferrari for the 2022 season, which will follow new regulations. So far, the team looks highly optimistic about their new challenger- F1-75, to be launched on 17 February 2022.

Carlos Sainz’s ambitions with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

The Spaniard looks confident going into the season. Sainz’s contract is due to be renewed after the 2022 season, and the driver wants to stay with the Italy-based franchise. The driver also expressed his desire to win the championship with Ferrari.

“As [Mattia] Binotto said, we are both satisfied, we intend to continue together, and this winter is an opportunity to find an agreement. We are trying. Becoming a World Champion with Ferrari is my highest ambition. I would like to renew as soon as possible,” said Sainz.

On being asked which driver would he like to be around from both McLaren and Ferrari, he said, “Since I have been with Ferrari I have listened to many stories about Michael Schumacher. He is a man I would have liked to know, to have as a companion, to understand how he could be so special. Every mechanic talks about him and it is nice to hear how he was able to conquer an entire group, to drag him, surrounded by esteem and affection.”

Sainz, when asked about staying friends with other drivers, can be challenging, answered, “My friends are strangers to F1…it depends on what we mean by the word friendship, but I honestly think with people I like, like [Lando, ex-teammate] Norris or Leclerc, I can be really friends when I stop racing. I’m biased, but I think that’s the way it is. Even thinking about personal qualities, we are similar, we have a good relationship, we try to keep the Italian flag aloft, the Ferrari name by doing our job well, which does not just mean being fast,” he added.

Lastly, Sainz answered whom he thinks will be the 2022 F1 champion, “Excluding me? I don’t know. I say Charles for the sake of Ferrari, but I would like to say, Sainz.”

The driver looks serious with his aspirations, and his performances in the last season did give out a testimony for his driving skills. However, we’ll have to wait for how everything turns out at the pre-season testing for Ferrari, and then have our predictions locked for the season.

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