Seven years after Fernando Alonso’s last Grand Prix for Ferrari at the Yas Marina Circuit in 2014, a red car is back in the hands of a Spanish driver. Carlos Sainz will driver it this season, alongside Charles Leclerc, as the Spanish driver joined the Italian side from McLaren.
In his two seasons in Woking, the Madrid driver impressed with his consistency of speed and maturity, finishing both championships with the ‘papaya’ team in sixth place in the drivers’ standings. Another ‘historic’ Spaniard in the service of the Prancing Horse, Marc Gené, explained how the choice of his compatriot was made and what his specific role was in this path.
“I was partially involved in this decision. This is because part of my job is also working with drivers” – Marc Gene explained, as reported by SoyMotor – “a detailed study was done not only from the previous year. In my case, for example, I did an analysis of his first races in Formula 1. He has already raced many Grands Prix. He has already raced more than 100” – underlined the former driver of Minardi. In his career, Carlos Sainz has already raced for Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren. Only Max Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg were able to score more points than him in a single season with the same cars.
“Statistics are made, but the one who really decides is Mattia Binotto” – pointed out Gené, with reference to the screening process conducted by the Maranello team in choosing a driver – “we look at his entire history. Then he is also very interested in knowing what he is like as a person. What is his personality and his attitude. One of Carlos’ great virtues is his maturity, his mental strength and the fact that he is a calm driver even in extreme situations” – concluded the long-serving Ferrari tester and ambassador.
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