Ferrari confirm plans for Carlos Sainz test in January

Ferrari

Ferrari confirm plans for Sainz test in January

Teams are limited to one three-day pre-season test in 2021

Ewan Gale

Saturday 28 November 2020 09:59

Ferrari has confirmed it will give Carlos Sainz a run in an old Formula 1 car when the Spaniard joins the team in January.

Sainz will replace Sebastian Vettel for 2021 but he will have little time to settle into his surroundings with just three days scheduled for pre-season testing as opposed to the usual six across two weeks.

With running time split between the two drivers, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed Sainz will likely be given time in a two-year-old car in January to make his transition from McLaren as smooth as possible.

"Certainly, one-and-a-half days is very short, is very little time," said the Ferrari boss.

"Obviously, we are planning to organise something for Carlos to make sure we can somehow speed up his integration with the team, with the engineers, the car and our way of working, our procedures.

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"The simulator will be important in that respect. In the simulator, he will work with his race team, engineers and technicians.

"We are currently trying to organise, January time, a run with an old car just to get him used mainly with the team, our procedures and the people."

Binotto's comments came after Sainz himself criticised the lack of pre-season testing.

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Spaniard said: "I can already tell you that a day and a half in these complex Formula 1 cars is not enough to prepare for a season.

"To get to know the crew in a day and a half is very little, and probably not enough. It is what it is, we will have to adapt and we will need to make sure we are as prepared as possible within the limits of a day and a half."