Carlos Sainz and father’s advice: “Either you bite or they bite you”. Carlos Sainz and father's advice.

He is growing, as a man and as a driver. Carlos Sainz arrived at Ferrari at the right time, even if the level of competitiveness of the Scuderia from Maranello is certainly not that of its best days. But with his help, Ferrari can raise its head. Carlos Sainz is a real driver, one of those who gained experience, fighting with the prejudices of his detractors, who thought he was in Formula 1 simply because he is the “son of”. Over time Carlos has managed to build his own identity and to untie himself from his father’s shadow, which was not easy. But he is used to fighting: ever since he was 11 he learned that friends off the track became rivals ready to do anything to beat him.

“I have always been very friendly and open. I went to kart racing when I was 11 and all the drivers came to eat a slice of pizza or a plate of pasta with me. I arrived on the track and thought I was still their friend. But they touched me and sent me off the circuit: they made me miss important races, like a Winter Cup or a Spanish championship. Things that hurt a lot at the level I was at. And at that moment my father was there telling me: ‘either you bite or they bite you’. I didn’t understand how people could change their behaviour so much, until I learned how to do it myself. Perhaps for some drivers it came a bit more natural, the ‘bastard’ touch, I learned how to do it. And since then I have understood that on the track you have to bite, outside I can be myself.” – he said in a long interview for SoyMotor.

Little Carlos has become a man, but he is always in pursue of the same dream: to win in Formula 1. He is still at zero, but this is not a burden for the new Ferrari driver:

“On the one hand, i miss the feeling of being first. But there were times when I came out of a Formula 1 weekend with the feeling of having won. When you get here, your perception of victory must change. You have to look for your small victories. For example, in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix I finished in third place (thanks to the penalty in Hamilton, ed) ; in these moments you think that no one could have beaten you by driving the same car. So do you think that with another car you could have really won. So, I’m not thinking about the top-5 or the podium. Nor do I think that if I don’t beat Charles then I become a second driver, which is what several people believe and want me to think. I’m just thinking about Bahrain and how I can get Ferrari as forward as possible in the shortest time possible.” – Carlos concluded.