Sainz: I have to prove that Binotto is right by trusting me

For Ferrari, the 2022 season is uneven – so uneven that Carlos Sainz compared it to the famous roller coaster ride. At the same time, he believes that with a slightly different development of the events, he could also claim the title.

“This is not a season, but a kind of roller coaster, especially the beginning,” the Spanish rider said in an interview with the championship’s official website. – There were problems with the car. Because I didn’t make it to the finish in two stages in a row at the start of the championship, I dropped out of the battle for the title very early.

Then I had a kind of rebound when I claimed the win in Canada and won the race at Silverstone, but then again followed by a drop. And then another climb. But I’m more comfortable with this series of successes and failures because I’m more competitive now than I was at the start of the season.

At the same time, it’s important that Ferrari supported me, especially after retirement in Austria, because what happened then was hard to accept. I know that the start of the championship was not easy, but then everything started to develop normally for me and in Austria I had to finish in the top two for the third time in a row, but due to retirement I lost a lot of points, and with that the hope of success in the championship.

But Ferrari is happy with my results. When I perform competitively, the team rejoices. They see how much progress we have made with the machine. I don’t want to say that this process is over, or that I don’t have to work on myself anymore, but all this certainly helps to find the right approach to preparing for the weekends. Now I’m more focused on getting the maximum possible result at the end of the whole weekend, rather than working with the machine in every single session in an effort to increase the speed.

Our team performs at a very high level. We are dealing with such a strong opponent as Red Bull and to be on an equal footing with him you have to work as efficiently as possible. In recent years, the Scuderia has made significant progress.

Ferrari’s strategy is always talked about a lot. I don’t know why everyone pays so much attention to it and tries to analyze in detail exactly how we should act. I think it’s all because we play for Ferrari. Also, everyone listens too closely to our conversations on the radio. Maybe from the outside they seem chaotic.

But my conversations on the radio are always about the same whether the race is calm or not, and the outcome depends on tactics or other factors. We always talk about the radio and I think they play an important role in making decisions. Believe me, in any case, I’d rather we have such negotiations than if they weren’t there.”

Of course, Carlos spoke about his relationship with his partner: “In qualifying, Charles Leclerc can always put in incredibly fast laps and this year he also shows a great pace in the races. He always sets the team a great benchmark, and it’s great to work with him. I have learned a lot from him over the years and look forward to working with him in the future as we get along well and have a good working relationship.

We spend a lot of time together in Maranello and on the tracks, and usually we have a lot of similar opinions on different occasions. Moreover, if there is time for fun, we can have fun or play sports together. Not everything is so serious, and not everything depends on the team. I hope it stays that way in the future.”

Sainz also noted the important role Mattia Binotto, head of the Ferrari team, played in his career: “When I moved to the Scuderia, when they signed a contract with me, he trusted me, probably more than anyone else. I felt it was my duty to prove that he was right, last year I already had to achieve the results that he and the team expected of me.

We’ve had a great relationship ever since and I consider him a great team leader. I think the team really appreciates him and treats him with a lot of respect. He’s leading us in the right direction, that’s for sure.

The championship is far from over and from a mathematical point of view any development of events is possible. That’s why my attitude hasn’t changed: I’m still preparing for every weekend and preparing myself to win the race. It’s been a completely crazy year. If we evaluate how consistently the riders from the two top teams rise to the podium, the championship should be simple: one team wins, the second finishes next. In reality it is not so.

The nature of the battle for points has changed so often that I continue to believe that anything can still happen. This year is very different from all the previous ones as the races have become more interesting, there are more different events during the Grand Prix and I will believe in success as long as there are opportunities…

If we analyze the last few races in detail, I speak at about the same level as the championship leaders. Therefore, I believe I could also claim the title. I just paid a high price at the start of the season, so this year’s opportunities were lost.