Ferrari arrives in Canada after an excellent weekend in Monte Carlo, which has also relaunched them in the context of the Formula 1 world titles. On the eve of the Montreal weekend, Carlos Sainz explained why the Maranello team can aim for the Constructors’ title, before addressing once again the topic of what his next team in Formula 1 will be.
The 2024 F1 season has been revitalized by recent results, with Ferrari and McLaren able to beat Red Bull, which appeared invincible at the start of the season. According to Carlos Sainz, despite the recent downturn, the Austrian team remains slightly favored: “We are all very close, anyone can win. For me, Red Bull is always a bit of a favorite, they are the ones who have won the most in recent months and years, but we will have our chances. McLaren could have taken pole in Monaco, which means we are all very close, and it will be the same this weekend.”
Speaking about the problems Red Bull has shown in the last two years on circuits like Singapore and Monte Carlo, Carlos Sainz explains that to keep the pressure on the reigning world champion team, it will be important to seize every opportunity that presents itself: “I don’t know exactly what their problems are, but it seems that in places like Singapore and Monaco, both we and McLaren have been extremely competitive compared to them. Then we go to Imola, maybe Barcelona, and they fly. So it will be about maximizing our opportunities on certain circuits. They will still dominate on other tracks, so let’s wait and see how the year develops, but at least we have made it a bit more interesting.”
In terms of cars, performances have become very close, and at the driver level, Ferrari currently has the advantage of having a pair that performs better than Red Bull’s, thanks to Sergio Perez’s slump.
The result in Monte Carlo allowed Ferrari to close to within 24 points of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, and Carlos Sainz confirms that this is one of Maranello’s goals: “The Constructors’ title is feasible at the moment, we are close, even considering that I missed a race and we lost some points there, otherwise we could have been even closer. It’s our goal, it won’t be easy because Red Bull had a very strong start to the season and it won’t be simple to have a similar pace to recover all those points. As a pair of drivers and as a team, we are doing well on Saturdays and Sundays, if we continue like this it can be done.”
Regarding his and Charles Leclerc’s performance, Carlos Sainz believes that one of the secrets is that the two Ferrari drivers push each other to give their best: “The important thing is that while he is having a great race, I am also having a good race. When I won in Australia, he finished second, and this is what makes us such a strong team, and it’s why we have so many points in the championship, and we are also thinking about fighting hard with all the constructors. So I think it was fantastic to see him win in Monaco, just as it was fantastic to get the win in Australia. The important thing is that we always push each other, being side by side in terms of quality and race. It’s a good situation for us.”
The other topic that Carlos Sainz inevitably has to address before each grand prix is the driver market. This week, Red Bull announced the contract renewal of Perez, while Alpine confirmed the separation from Esteban Ocon at the end of the year. Regarding the confirmation of the Mexican, Sainz was not surprised: “A few months ago I was talking with every single team on the grid. Naturally, we had some conversations with Red Bull, but they made this decision. I have known about this decision for a while now.” – he pointed out.
There do not seem to be any seats available for Carlos Sainz in top-tier teams: “I have known for a while, no surprise for me,” said the Spaniard. “The conversations and news you see today, I have known for months. It will certainly be so, but that does not mean that I do not have a bright future ahead. I have talked with many teams that really want me, and this makes me feel good as a driver and for what is to come.”
In recent days, news from Spain has been insistently reporting Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams. On this matter, the Spaniard urged calm: “Even though it is much talked about in Spain, I have not signed anything with Williams yet. Negotiations are still ongoing with the teams we are talking to, I am waiting for them to be finalized. I will make my decision when we sit down at the table. So far, I have left it to my management and my team to negotiate and put all the options in front of me, then I will have to sit down and make a decision. I think I have never lied about the fact that there are many options on the table for me at this moment, which I want to think about calmly and be very honest with you.” – the Spanish driver concluded ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
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