F1 News: Carlos Sainz faced challenges he "didn't expect to have" in 2022
Carlos Sainz has spoken about his difficulties at Ferrari in 2022, admitting that he was surprised at some of the obstacles he faced.
The Spaniard shocked most of the paddock with his performances in red last season, proving capable of matching Charles Leclerc on many occasions.
Leclerc still had the advantage in raw pace last year, but Sainz would have taken confidence from outscoring his teammate in his first year at Ferrari.
Sainz failed to keep this momentum in 2022, unable to drive at his best level as he worked to understand the F1-75's characteristics.
The 28-year-old was able to make a forward step in the second half of the season, although he's been honest about his continued efforts to improve:
"A very challenging start to the season with me immediately on the back foot and heading into challenges that I probably didn't expect to have", f1.com quote him as saying.
"But I'm honestly very proud [of] the way I recovered the season, the way that I managed to say motivated.
"Even with all the ups and downs that I had, with all the setbacks that we had.
"As a team, as an individual, with so many DNFs we still managed to turn the season around, and now I'm driving again at the level that I know I'm able to."
Carlos Sainz will hope to rediscover his best form next season as Ferrari looks to re-establish itself as a legitimate contender for the title.
Leclerc will be an extremely difficult adversary to overcome, but Sainz cannot afford a repeat of the issues that plagued his second campaign with the Scuderia.