Carlos Sainz Rejects Rumours 2022 Ferrari Development Was Tailored To Him

Carlos Sainz slams rumours that the team tailored development to him in 2022.

Carlos Sainz has rejected claims that Ferrari’s 2022 development path was customised to match his driving style, emphasising that it is the driver's responsibility to adjust to the car's natural features.

In his second season with the team, the Spanish driver had a challenging start, encountering multiple incidents and lacking speed in comparison to his teammate, Charles Leclerc.

Despite these challenges, Sainz eventually bounced back, earning his first pole position and victory at Silverstone. Unfortunately, as the year progressed, Ferrari's relative performance began to decline.

However, Sainz has explicitly denied that there is any link between the team's drop in competitiveness and his own improvement in performance over the course of 2022.

According to Motorsport-Total.com, Sainz explained:

“I feel like there was a trend that people were saying the car was going my way or not. But that’s not true.

“I’m going to say frankly now that a Formula 1 car doesn’t go my way or towards the other driver.

“A Formula 1 car evolves to be faster. My job as a driver is to provide clues as to where the car is weak.

“I give that feedback, as does Charles. The team takes it and provides it faces data, draws their conclusions and hopes that the car will then be faster.”

Carlos Sainz faced difficulties adjusting to the updated regulations of last year, leading to some struggles in his driving performance. Nonetheless, the Spanish driver is optimistic that he will have a better experience with Ferrari's 2023 package. He continued:

“I’m always optimistic and I hope it will go faster this time. Over the past year I’ve gone through some obviously difficult moments. We had a car that required a certain, very specific driving style. In those moments I adjusted and made it – a little late for my liking, but I adjusted.

“The car should have evolved, and I felt like I was very close to the car’s limit last year and was driving at a very high level. So I’m confident I can pick up where I left off and take a step in the right direction.

“I also hope that the car can adapt a little better to my driving style and that I can get off to a strong start to the season.”

Ferrari has unveiled its latest creation, the SF-23, as a continuation of the previous model, with the Italian team eager to break its long-standing title drought this season. Following the launch, the team carried out a shakedown at the Fiorano test track, followed by a filming day at the same location the next day.

After their initial runs, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz expressed satisfaction with the new car's performance, providing positive feedback to the team's engineers. The Ferrari duo will take the wheel of the SF-23 once again during pre-season testing in Bahrain, where they will have ample time to evaluate the car's capabilities and fine-tune its setup for the upcoming season.

With a renewed sense of optimism and a highly anticipated car, the Ferrari team is determined to make significant strides in the upcoming campaign and bring an end to their prolonged title drought. The Spanish driver added:

“It’s very clear in our heads where we want to make the steps and what we’re focusing on. I think pre-season has been smooth for us so far.

“Now it’s a matter of executing a plan, a very specific plan that we have for Bahrain, and [to] implement it as well as possible.

“I’ve worked hard over the winter to be well prepared and I’m confident I can do it and become an even better driver.

“So I know that once I find my groove this year and feel comfortable in the car, I’ll be able to perform very well. So I’m very excited about what’s to come this year and what I can reach as a driver.”