Carlos Sainz Reveals 2022 Ferrari Regret Ahead Of Williams Debut

Saajan Jogia | Jan 3, 2025

Nov 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (55) during media availabilities at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Carlos Sainz, who joins Williams this year after a four-year tenure at Ferrari, has revealed a regret from his time with the Scuderia, recalling a period when he doubted his driving abilities due to the challenges posed by ground effect cars, a struggle still faced by several drivers, including Lewis Hamilton. Sainz opened up on how the car of the current era pushed him to change his driving style completely after his former teammate Charles Leclerc outperformed him in the Drivers' Standings.

The onset of the ground effect era in regulations in 2022 saw a massive power shift on the F1 grid as the team that won eight world championship titles was found struggling to finish races on the podium. Mercedes enjoyed a successful time in the hybrid era from 2014, which also saw Hamilton win six championship titles with the Brackley outfit.

However, in 2022, all F1 teams had to change their approach to their cars' development, while only Red Bull emerged ahead of the pack in the technical race, maintaining dominance through the regulatory period set to conclude after the 2025 season. While Ferrari wasn't too far behind as it finished second in the Constructors' Championship, its cars suffered from a common ground effect problem of porpoising that gave both its drivers a hard time on the racetrack.

Despite the challenges, Sainz went on to win his first Grand Prix at Silverstone in the same year and secure nine podiums by the season's end. Despite his efforts, he ultimately finished behind Leclerc in the championship, as adapting to the car's unique characteristics required him to make significant changes to his driving style. When asked if he had any regrets during his time at Ferrari, he told Corriere della Sera:

“The beginning of 2022, I thought I couldn’t drive any more.

“I had to change my style completely and after that I became much stronger.”

Sainz's struggles reveal the complexities of the ground effect car, which also severely affected Lewis Hamilton's performance. Even In 2024, Hamilton struggled to get to grips with the W15 F1 car while his teammate George Russell outperformed him in qualifying on most race weekends of the season. Mercedes' head of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin explained that Hamilton's driving style heated the tires when he pushed the car to the limit, compromising performance. He said:

"The issue really for him has just been when you are trying to extract that last tenth or two.

"It's been difficult in terms of trying to avoid brake locking, trying to avoid snaps on exit. It's just those issues.

"But the way the team looks at that is that we needed to give Lewis a car more like the one we had in Vegas, where it does suit his style, and he can do his best work with it."

He added:

"I mean, not really in the style or approach, because Lewis is wise enough to know that if something is working for George, he can adapt his driving to go in that direction.

"There are things that you can see that ultimately, when they really start pushing, then that's when you start to get the snaps of oversteer on exit.

"And that, on occasion, is an area that Lewis might suffer more from than George. But, as I said, the focus for our year has been, how do we get the car in a way that Lewis needs to allow him to drive it on the limit and not suffer those problems."