Sainz: I will never forget the victory in Singapore

During the event of his sponsors from Estrella Galicia in Madrid, Carlos Sainz candidly summarized the results of the season…

Carlos Sainz: “The best moment was the victory in Singapore. I will never forget this. The season started badly for us, but we were able to turn the situation around and win the race.

Overall, the year was difficult. On Saturday the car was competitive, but in the race we fell back and left the track with a dissatisfied feeling, but on Monday we were full of optimism again. We looked for a solution to become stronger.

Red Bull understands very well what the parameters of the car should be under the current regulations. In qualifying we were sometimes evenly matched, but in the race they had a lead over us of half a second per lap. The main advantage of their machine is its versatility. And if in the summer of 2022 we thought we weren’t losing that much and would catch up quickly, in 2023 it turned out that we were going in the wrong direction.

You can’t ask more from the team. Ferrari is doing everything it can. We put pressure on ourselves. I won one race in 2022, one in 2023. The new goal is to win two races in 2024.

Max didn’t always have to do his best to win. He only did this when necessary. This scares me the most. That’s why I say to Ferrari that if we gain back four tenths, we can’t beat them; we need to win back much more.

We did wrong in some races, but that’s not the point: everyone makes mistakes. We might have had more, but if your car doesn’t have enough speed, it’s hard to get everything right. Our weak point was high tire wear, lack of speed over long distances and problems in fast corners. These problems have not arisen in Singapore and that is one of the reasons why we have performed so well.

I want to start next season with confidence and know where I will compete in 2025. My priority is a multi-year contract. We have three months before the first race to reach an agreement.

There are rumors about the conditions the team is offering me, but I won’t comment on them. I want to extend my contract, I want to spend one more season with the team. I feel supported by Frederic Vasseur and the whole team, I feel respected. My status in the team has not changed.

Formula 1 will have to adapt to the calendar of 24 Grands Prix. I’m happy to race, but it’s very difficult for the engineers and mechanics with this schedule. We will have to conserve energy as the season progresses, change pre-season training and space out rest days. I’m not against the race in Vegas, but there, given the schedule, the intensity of the events and the work with the press, we felt like puppets. Clearly this needs to change.

Where is the Spanish Grand Prix held? For me the most important thing is that it happens. I don’t prefer Madrid or Barcelona, ​​but I want the stage to go well and become the same cult event as the race in Mexico, Singapore or Australia. As a resident of Madrid I would like to see the race in our city, but I insist that Spain is my priority.

We should be able to fight for the title, but it is very difficult to beat Red Bull, especially after the kind of season they have just had. But if anyone can do it, it’s Ferrari.”