Carlos Sainz is happy to be patient with Ferrari as he prepares to join the Italian team in 2021.
Usually, the prospect of joining the fabled Scuderia has drivers weak at the knees with excitement, but in the case of the Spaniard, even Formula 1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn thinks he might be “nervous” given the current extreme lack of performance Ferrari is suffering this season.
A considerable loss of power from the engine and an underwhelming chassis saw Ferrari endure its worst result in 10 years with both cars finishing last Sunday at Spa and expectations for their home race at Monza aren’t any higher.
That has led chairman John Elkann to identify F1’s new era in 2022 as the best opportunity to put the team back where they feel it belongs at the front, and Sainz says he is willing to accept one dud year for that to be the case.
“I can wait one more year for sure,” he told Sky Sports.
“I haven’t fought for a Formula 1 win or even a podium for six years. I can do another year without those, so I think you need to accept that 2021 is going to be a tough year for everyone.
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“I think every team needs the rule change (in 2022), everything needs a bit of a fresh start to try and trouble Mercedes because at the moment even Ferrari or Red Bull, you can see we are all just too far off.
“They (Mercedes) are just doing a better job and we need to reconsider how we approach Formula 1 and what kind of team you want in order to have a chance.”
As part of the ongoing effort to turn around Ferrari, both Sainz and new teammate Charles Leclerc are reportedly set to spend more time at Maranello to help guide development.
“I think in the first year when you are new to a team it’s very important to spend some extra hours there and I think Mattia (Binotto, team principal) was extremely positive about that,” Carlos continued.
“Now it feels like it’s going to be the normal thing so I’m happy about it. Experiencing that last year (with McLaren) for me was very important to know how important it is to get close to a team and I’m definitely looking forward to carrying that into the move to Ferrari.”
Expressing himself within a team is something Sainz reveals he struggled with at the start of his career and might be why his status has often been little more than the son of legendary rally driver Carlos Sainz Sr.
But following his move to Ferrari, the newly turned 26-year-old is seeing that perception change.
“I’ve always had the media looking at me as being the son of Carlos Sainz and I’ve always had instead of one eye, two eyes always looking at me and seeing how I was progressing through the junior categories,” he explained to Channel 4.
“I think many people in Spain didn’t know me as much as they know me now, and suddenly Ferrari signed this young guy Carlos Sainz and it was pretty big news.
“But I’m starting to get quite a bit of excitement and attention surrounding next year also.”
