Sainz to get first on-track Ferrari experience this month

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has confirmed Carlos Sainz will complete his first laps for the team in the 2018 car this month.

After a successful two-year stint at McLaren, Sainz moved to Ferrari for the coming season to partner Charles Leclerc.

In a bid to reduce costs and as a reflection on the significant carryover of components from 2020 to '21, there is only one three-day pre-season test this year, meaning each driver will have just one-and-a-half days' of track time

To ensure Sainz is as prepared as possible, Ferrari will allow him time in two-year-old machinery at Fiorano to become acquainted with his new engineers and the team's procedures. No date has yet been determined.

"He will have one day and a half winter testing, but we are organising as well some testing for him, a day eventually, or slightly more, in January, in Fiorano," said Binotto.

"It will be with an old car, an '18 car because that is what is possible and permitted as per regulations. The January testing will be for him the first touch with a Ferrari car on track.

"It is an old car but we feel it is an important one to get used to our procedures. The way we communicate with engineers, to get the feeling with his engineers and the team itself so that is the way we will organise."

Binotto also confirmed Leclerc will retain the engineering team he has worked with for the past two years, with Sainz inheriting those who worked with Vettel. Binotto added: "His team eventually and essentially was the team of Sebastian [Vettel], which will be simply passed to him.

"So Ricardo Adami for example, the race engineer, is becoming the race engineer of Carlos and there is not at the moment, at least, no new engineers coming from outside to join his track team."

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