Given the performance of the F1-75 car in this start of the 2022 Formula 1 season, team boss Mattia Binotto feels that Carlos Sainz needs to learn how to “manage the pressure” of driving a race-winning car for the first time in his F1 career.
Carlos Sainz moved to Ferrari from McLaren in 2021 and impressed in his first season alongside the Maranallo team, even finishing ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. However, last season Ferrari was far behind the duo of Mercedes and Red Bull and could only hope to fight for occasional podium finishes. Now that Ferrari can finally challenge for race wins, something has gone wrong for the Spanish driver, who seems to have lost his consistency.
While Charles Leclerc had a perfect start to the season (ahead of the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP, which proved to be his first difficult weekend of the season) and is currently leading the Drivers’ Championship, Carlos Sainz has been struggling to get close to his Maranello teammate and Charles Leclerc. At the same time, he was involved in a series of incidents that directly or indirectly led to two consecutive retirements in Australia and at the Imola circuit. While the crash with Daniel Ricciardo which ended his Emilia Romagna GP was by no means the Ferrari driver’s fault, it did mean another race without a single point for Carlos.
Scuderia Ferrari, though, believe in the Spanish driver and recently confirmed that they had extended his contract for another two seasons, meaning Carlos Sainz will race for the Maranello team until at least the end of the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
“We are very happy with him, the way he has integrated into the team, the way he is performing,” Mattia Binotto said during the Imola weekend – “And I think simply he is matching the expectations.” – he added.
However, the Ferrari boss admitted that Carlos Sainz now has to get a handle on the pressure which is inevitable with knowing he is in a position to fight for race wins in a top car: “I think that’s a matter of managing the pressure,” Mattia Binotto continued when asked about the Spanish driver’s prospects for the current campaign, after racing for Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren – “It is maybe the first time in his career he has got a car which is fast enough to compete for the best positions and he simply needs to get used to that. But he will do it very quickly because I know how smart and how capable he is to manage the pressure.” – he added.
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After a strong first season with Ferrari, Mattia Binotto is confident Carlos Sainz will bounce back from the difficult start in 2022 and will become the right driver for Ferrari by regaining his consistency, also helped by the safety provided by the new contract, which assures Carlos Sainz of driving for the Italian side until 2024: “I don’t think there are issues. Certainly he needs to adapt. I think he has done a couple of mistakes, which are important. But nevertheless, I think he is improving himself, he is going faster and faster. It was the right moment to look ahead. I think that by renewing and extending it’s giving the right stability to the team as well. We know our drivers are confirmed to the end of 2024. And we can build on it. I think as Ferrari, our main objective is to try to create the foundations for the future. And together with that line-up, I think it’s the best we can do.” – Mattia Binotto concluded.
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