Carlos Sainz will 'embrace honour and responsibility' of Ferrari drive

Ferrari

Sainz will 'embrace honour and responsibility' of Ferrari drive

Sainz made the switch from McLaren to Maranello over winter

Ewan Gale

Sunday 31 January 2021 17:00

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Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has said he is excited to embrace the "great honour and big responsibility" of wearing the famous 'Ferrari Rosso' overalls this season.

Sainz has made the move from McLaren to Maranello to replace Sebastian Vettel, joining Charles Leclerc to form the youngest Ferrari driver pairing since the team fielded Chris Amon and Jacky Ickx in 1968.

After his first day driving at Fiorano, completing over 150 laps in the SF71H from 2018, Sainz explained the move completed a childhood fantasy.

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"When I was ten years old, I went to Barcelona and I was lucky enough to meet one of my greatest heroes, Michael Schumacher, and visit the Ferrari garage," he said.

"The atmosphere there was simply special, there is nothing like it. Therefore, I guess the easiest way to describe what joining Scuderia Ferrari means to me is a childhood dream come true.

"However, the way I see it, to put on the red race suit and drive for this team is much more than just a dream. As a racing driver, it’s a great honour and a big responsibility that I really look forward to experiencing and embracing."

Ferrari has competed in every season of the Formula 1 World Championship, the only team to do so, and Sainz believes even those with only a passing knowledge of F1 would associate the Italian manufacturer with the sport.

When asked if he played with Ferrari cars as a child, Sainz replied: "Definitely. I had many red toy cars back in the day and even my first ever go-kart was completely red.

"Nowadays even the racing car emoji on WhatsApp is red. Every single racing driver and fan knows what Scuderia Ferrari represents and even if you are not into motorsports or even if you don’t like cars at all, you still recognise the brand and associate the colour red with Ferrari. That’s how big it is."