Carlos Sainz anticipates a “special” Italian Grand Prix weekend thanks to a more “competitive” Ferrari in 2022.
The fabled brand is paying tribute to its origins at Monza, running a special livery incorporating yellow from the Modena emblem to celebrate 75 years since the car company was founded.
And with Ferrari enjoying a stronger season to date, plus a full crowd also back at the Temple of Speed for the first time in three years, Sainz hopes to deliver what the Tifosi wants, victory.
“This year, we’re lucky we have a competitive car and we can have a competitive Ferrari in Monza,” the Spaniard told Formula1.com. “It’s going to be special.
#OnThisDay 3 years ago, the race when every #F1 fan was a Tifosi… and #CharlesLeclerc delivered #Ferrari‘s first win at Monza in 9 years!#Formula1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/uNnNhgiHGy
— InsideRacing.com (@INSIDERACINGcom) September 8, 2022
“That winning feeling there – Charles had it in 2019. I’m yet to experience such a thing, but already last year was super exciting and one of the best weekends.
“I watched F1 since I was a kid, I watched Ferrari, I watched Monza and I said being a Ferrari driver in Monza must be the best feeling ever.
“Everyone knows how passionate people are in Italy and what Ferrari means in Italy,” Sainz continued.
“It’s something that is so big, that is difficult to explain, even for me sometimes difficult to understand how they can be so passionate, so involved in the team and in how the team does, changes so much their mood.
“I find it a bit strange how you can affect someone’s life so much just by saying hello to them, putting a smile on their faces, by taking a picture you can see their day is done.
“I’m still a normal guy who goes about life pretty normal – I don’t feel like a hero or a special person at all.”
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Even so, the men in yellow (for this weekend only) are who the Tifosi have come out to see. And on Friday, Sainz sent them home happy after leading Practice 2.
“It doesn’t mean we are the fastest,” he surmised. “I don’t think we are the fastest out there by any means. But at least we are closer than we thought.
“It’s been positive because, obviously, after coming from Spa – the last [low] downforce track where we struggled a lot – we expected to not be very competitive here.
“But I must say that from FP1 the car has felt in a much better window, in a much better position, than where it was in Spa.
?? Great to be back at Monza! Overall it’s been a positive day and I felt quite comfortable. The car seems to be working well but we’ll look into every detail tonight to try to improve for tomorrow and especially for the race!
–#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/osUcrmDTMK
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) September 9, 2022
“There is still work to do to try and improve the pace on the long runs,” he acknowledged. “We’ll look into every detail tonight and try to improve for tomorrow [qualifying], but especially for the race.”
Indeed, Sainz faces a big challenge on Sunday as grid penalties will drop him towards the back of the grid after qualifying.