Sainz: I will try to lose as few points as possible

Ferrari started the season worse than expected, but Carlos Sainz is not discouraged and believes his team will still be able to recover, as only the first race of 23 is behind.

Question Ferrari was under fire after the race in Bahrain and that was not the way you would like. Did the team deserve such hard numbers?
Carlos Sainz: On the one hand, yes, because our expectations were very high. We wanted to fight for wins from the start of the season and take a step forward. We didn’t succeed in Bahrain, there were reliability issues, although the main reason is that Red Bull and Aston Martin were faster than us.

Therefore, such reviews are partially justified, but if the team is criticized for the fact that the changes taking place in it have led to destabilization, I do not think it is fair.

Failures are possible, but something else is more important: how do you know how to overcome them. To cope with the problems that hinder us at the beginning of the season, it takes time. The opponents could make a more notable step forward, but we believe we know what we haven’t done enough and we will try to improve.

Question Off-season there were a lot of changes at Ferrari – or so it seemed from the outside. Are you already feeling the results of these reforms?
Carlos Sainz: It may be time for change for any team. Last year we took a step forward and fought for victories again, but now we have to take the next step. It is important to work steadily throughout the year and upgrade the machine effectively. I think we can take this step too.

Yes, the first race was not the best way, but we need some time. Let’s wait, let it take a few races, and then we’ll see how it all goes.

Q: Based on what you could understand in the days of the Bahrain race weekend, will the SF-23 allow you to fight for wins?
Carlos Sainz: We can win some races. But although this cannot be done without the “help” of Red Bull: if they do not encounter problems and go on all the tracks, as in Bahrain, then we will not overtake them. But this was the case in the first phase of the season and I don’t know yet if this picture will be repeated in Saudi Arabia. It will also depend on how much progress each team makes.

Question: What is the advantage of Red Bull and Max Verstappen? What do they have and what are Ferraris missing?
Carlos Sainz: On their car, the rubber is less sensitive to wear, the chassis generates more downforce and you can take corners at higher speeds. There are no secrets here, just analyze the GPS data. We are currently working on all of these things.

Q: What goals do you personally set for yourself in the first third of the season?
Carlos Sainz: We have to try to lose fewer points against the leaders – in this case we are not just talking about Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but also Fernando Alonso. I will also help the team improve the car, and when I feel the results of this work, they will fight for victories again.

The season is long, it has 23 races and after the first of them the team was fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. But a lot can still happen, so it’s important not to overreact, to stay calm and to work on refining the car.

Q: You have a reputation for being a racer who fights aggressively on the track, but can perform consistently at the same time. However, this was not always the case last year…
Carlos Sainz: I admit that the lack of stability is my fault. Last year I was not able to show stable results, but I want to restore this quality. To be honest, this was partly hampered by the fact that we didn’t start in the best way, the car didn’t allow it, but I think this year we solved that problem.

In Bahrain you could see we started well and I couldn’t beat Perez just because I was blocked but I kept attacking.

Maybe people have already forgotten that I started from the back rows in France and Monza last year, but both times I recovered well. I acted aggressively, attacking both the outer and inner ray. Personally, I remember those two races.

In general, I intend to keep improving my professional skills, because above all I want to become world champion, to be the best in everything. And I will do my best for that.

Question: On the one hand it is important to be a good partner, on the other hand it is important to beat him – how can you achieve the right compromise here?
Carlos Sainz: I know how to achieve this because I have been lucky more than once: I was ahead of my partner in several races. But I’m not even talking about Charles Leclerc, but about other very good racers – for example Lando Norris and Daniil Kvyat. At the same time, I’ve never had any problems interacting normally with my partners, working with them, but competing on the job.

Q: How does it affect the top three teams that now the fourth team, Aston Martin, claims a place in the leading group?
Carlos Sainz: Now it will be harder for us to recoup. Points will be distributed differently, the rivalry will escalate. In general, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes were about the same level in Bahrain, but Aston Martin cars were a bit faster. Let’s see how it will be in Jeddah. However, Red Bull is now in its class compared to the other three.