Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had asked to have the clutch control on the SF21 with the two levers tilted downwards to maintain the system he used at McLaren. Carlos, therefore, did not convert to the single lever that Sebastian Vettel had first introduced and that was later adopted by Charles Leclerc as well. It is interesting to see how there are important customizations in the steering wheel-computer to favor ergonomics at a crucial moment like the start.
Carlos Sainz Jr. has become a reference point for Ferrari, just like Charles Leclerc. The Spaniard has integrated perfectly into the Maranello team and represents an important asset for the Italian side that wants to return to fighting for wins next year.
Carlos is seventh in the Drivers’ World Championship standings, just behind his Monegasque teammate, with a gap of just 6.5 points, demonstrating that he is capable of keeping up with his highly-rated teammate.
Carlos deserves credit for being in perfect harmony with the Racing Department technicians, as his debriefings are full of important information for understanding the various aspects that make up the SF21’s performance.
The Spanish driver, for the first time, has arrived in a top team after starting with Toro Rosso and having passed through Renault and McLaren. The 27-year-old, however, is a driver who has shown a strong personality, without erasing what is his previous professional background that has formed him to become the solid conductor of today’s Maranello team.
The concrete example that testifies to what we are saying is given by the steering wheel-computer: Carlos Sainz has not adopted the solution used by Charles Leclerc, but has asked and, rightly, obtained, to adapt the clutch control to the one he used at McLaren on the MCL35 last year, below.
Carlos has done nothing more than repeat what Lewis Hamilton chose to do when he switched to Mercedes from McLaren: the world champion chose to reproduce on the steering wheel of the Star the same buttons he used on the Woking car.
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In the case of Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, the Iberian did not ask for the front part to be modified, but only for the clutch levers to be adapted to the solution he was used to at McLaren. Carlos has two levers with carbon fingers that are inclined downwards to obtain the best ergonomics in the grip in a delicate moment of the race such as the start.
Sebastian Vettel on the Ferrari SF70H used a similar version, but with the two perfectly horizontal paddles (above) that, at the 2017 Spanish GP, the first use of this solution still had the metal thimbles, later replaced with carbon ones.
The German later took great care in developing his own solutions in search of the best possible shot. The four-time world champion, in fact, experimented with the single rocker arm that, according to him, allowed him to have greater sensitivity in the release phase of the clutch, while teammate Kimi Raikkonen remained faithful to the two “ears”.
Seb, being left-handed, had chosen to use the clutch handle on his left hand, while Charles Leclerc uses the same system, but being right-handed he has the long lever mounted upside down for right-handed use.
Carlos Sainz, therefore, goes his own way: a careful look at the back of his steering wheel compared with Charles’ reveals that there are also differences in the gearshift paddles: the Spaniard uses shorter levers than Charles Leclerc’s and with decidedly different shapes and curvatures, more functional for his fingers.
It emerges from Giorgio Piola’s drawings how important it is to take care of every single detail that, even if in a minimal way, can have an impact on the performance in a crucial moment like a Grand Prix start.
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