Carlos Sainz says he was taken aback by how detailed Ferrari’s analysis was of him prior to signing for the team for 2021.
The Spaniard was always considered a potential candidate for the Scuderia in the case of Sebastian Vettel leaving at the end of this year, but many were surprised when he was already lined up to replace the four-time world champion when it was decided he would depart back in May.
Asked though how much of an effect his strong 2019 results, including a podium in Brazil, had on Ferrari, Sainz believes Ferrari went much deeper.
“Of course it had an influence. I cannot deny a podium makes you be a bit more in the spotlight and people look at you,” he told ESPN.
Also Read:
- Norris teasing Sainz as McLaren motivated to beat Ferrari in 2020
- Sainz still backs his decision to ‘take the chance’ at Ferrari next year
- McLaren to remain an ‘open book’ with Sainz despite pending exit
“But from what I’ve seen from how the top teams analyse the drivers, it’s in a much more complete picture than what I thought at first.
“It’s a lot more detailed than I thought, so I’m sure they were looking into my previous seasons, not only into that podium in Brazil but also the consistency of the campaign and finishing P6 in the Drivers’ Championship.
“I think they analyse a lot more stuff than I thought, and this was a bit of a surprise, the amount of analysis the teams sometimes go into individually.
“So a good surprise because sometimes in the midfield you think they’re not looking into you too much or you’re not on TV much!”
Sainz though did confirm he is yet to travel to Maranello ahead of his 2021 move because of contractual reasons and also as a message of commitment to McLaren until the end of this year.
But he revealed the response from those at Woking to the news was better than he anticipated.
“It was mainly people happy for me and telling me ‘good job’ and I deserve it,” he said.
“The mechanics and everything had some nice words for me, which made me want to finish in a higher position ahead of my move next year, and leave McLaren on a high just because of how much appreciation I got from everyone here — how comfortable they made me feel even after making such a tough and difficult decision.”
What may be weighing on Sainz’s mind ahead of his move, however, is the predicament Ferrari currently find themselves in having fallen back into the midfield and chairman John Elkann ruling out victories until 2022.
“You don’t have to be a genius to see that Formula 1 is being dominated by Mercedes,” he told El Mundo Deportivo.
“Right now it’s difficult for everyone, whether it’s Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault or Racing Point to fight for the world championship with the dominance of this year and in 2021, the cars will be practically the same.
“It’s just common sense that until 2022 it will be very difficult to beat Mercedes.”
