Carlos Sainz: I have something to be proud of

Carlos Sainz’s best performances in 2023 were pole positions in Monza and Singapore and a win on a difficult city circuit, but he only finished the season in 7th place in the individual standings as his performances lacked consistency. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS, Carlos emphasized that despite all the difficulties, he has something to be proud of.

Question: How do you rate the past year? Was it better than 2022?
Carlos Sainz: It was better than 2022, and I would compare it to the 2021 season, when the successes were greater, but the failures were also more severe. On the one hand, in 2022 there was a victory, there were podiums, and these were very bright moments, but there were difficulties. In 2021, everything was more stable. But last year’s victory in Singapore and the podium in Monza obviously mean a lot.

Q: What achievements are you most proud of?
Carlos Sainz: With two pole positions in a row and a win, and also the fact that we managed to achieve consistency in the second half of the season, which I probably lacked at the beginning of the year.

Question: Which phase of the season was the most difficult?
Carlos Sainz: Absolutely, the beginning of it, including pre-season testing. During the first races during the tests in Bahrain it became clear that the car was difficult to drive, and at the same time we could not understand the reasons for what was happening and why we were inferior to Red Bull. And I have never been more upset and angry than at the Australian Grand Prix and Las Vegas, where I was given fines.

Q: You talk about races where you were punished because of external factors that affected your results. But have you personally had any problems?
Carlos Sainz: Personally, I only had problems in the first two or three stages of the season, when I didn’t have enough speed in qualifying. But already in Australia I found my way to the car. There were also problems due to not respecting the track limits in Austria, and I regret not being more careful, because the race could have gone much better without the penalty.

Q: But even in Abu Dhabi you encountered all the problems that could have happened, and as a result you dropped from 4th place in the individual competition to 7th…
Carlos Sainz: Not just in Abu Dhabi: everything went wrong in the last two races of the season, including the team missing out on third place in the Constructors’ Championship. I don’t want to end the season with such results, but after the very first laps it became clear that the aggressive driving style was not suitable for this car. We faced all the problems at once: we were unlucky and we ourselves did not act in the best way. Let’s see how everything goes next season.

Question: Seventh place in the individual competition does not reflect all your achievements last season…
Carlos Sainz: I had a confident season. Although it didn’t end the way I would have liked, the second half was a lot of fun. I have something to be proud of because our team has made progress and if we manage to take another step in 2024, we can compete for good results.

The end of the championship left a bitter aftertaste, but I quickly forget the failures and concentrate on preparing for the next season.

Question: You were the only one – with the exception of the Red Bull drivers – who managed to win…
Carlos Sainz: This is something to be proud of. In Singapore we stayed calm, the team made perfect pit stops and implemented successful tactics. Despite the pressure, we did everything right because we understood that this was our only chance to win. That’s why I’m proud of myself and our entire team.

Q: Do you want the 2024 car to be different from the SF23 in many ways?
Carlos Sainz: Yes. To be honest, last year’s car wasn’t the only one that gave me a headache. My partner also had trouble with it. Driving wasn’t that much fun; I had to adjust a lot and experiment a lot with settings. Hopefully the new car will be easier to set up, easier to fly and more versatile.

Question: Is the Ferrari team as a whole moving in the right direction?
Carlos Sainz: I think so. The second half of the season confirms this. We set ourselves the target of getting the most out of the car, we made fewer mistakes and although many factors were beyond our control, we still managed to work efficiently all weekend and show good results .