Carlos Sainz, who left McLaren for Ferrari at the end of the 2020 F1 season, he said he is aiming to be immediately on the pace, but noted that having a two-year contract is important as it gives him time to adapt to the new car and team environment.
“The pressure is always high at Ferrari. It doesn’t matter how many years are in the contract, I want to be quick anyway,” Sainz said in a recent interview.
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“But a two-year contract is important to me. That’s something I’ve always said, also at Mclaren: a little stability is always important for a driver.
“I feel I got a lot more out of the car in my second year at McLaren than I did in my first year. And if you look at Daniel Ricciardo at Renault, for example, you can see how important it is to take the time and get to know the car.
“It’s the same with Charles Leclerc: he’s not the Charles he was a year-and-a-half ago when he joined Ferrari,” the Spaniard concluded.
Last month, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto insisted that the Scuderia doesn’t have a designated number one driver going into 2021, so Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will be free to race each other.
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