Ferrari have arguable the strongest driver pairing on the Formula 1 grid, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz more than capable of winning races, and with neither driver being seen as significantly better than the other.
Many driver pairings that are so competitive with each other turn toxic, as they battle each other on track, however Leclerc and Sainz have developed a close bond during their time together at Ferrari.
In his first season with the Scuderia, Sainz narrowly outscored Leclerc, however under the new regulations, Leclerc managed to mount a reasonable title challenge, while Sainz only seemed to come into his own during the latter stages of the season.
The Spaniard has now offered an explanation for his upturn in form around the summer break, suggesting that he had to alter his driving style to suit the needs of Ferrari’s new car.
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“Probably not worth putting it out in the media because it’s too technical and too precise to go so much into detail. But I can tell you I had to reinvent myself in many areas,” explained Sainz.
“I had to copy a lot of stuff from Charles’ driving, I had to adapt the set-up of the car a bit to me.
“I made many mistakes on the way which also made me take a step backward to then take two forward.”
The 28-year-old has been quick to rubbish claims that his improvement compared to Leclerc over the course of the season was down to Ferrari tailoring the upgrades of the F1-75 more to his liking than the Monegasques’.
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Sainz has explained that Ferrari’s development over the course of the season was not designed to favour either driver, however he did tweak his own set-up to his liking, which helped improve his performances.
Ferrari’s charge for the constructors’ championship quickly died out after the team were forced to dial down the power of their engine to increase reliability, as the Scuderia were experiencing a high number of power unit related failures on race weekends, most notably as Sainz’s engine burst into flame at the Red Bull Ring.
Under new management following team principal Mattia Binotto’s resignation, Sainz will be hoping to add to his single race win in 2022, and potential challenge the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for his first title in Formula 1.