Carlos Sainz Jr. opens up on 'TOUGH' Ferrari tenure as Audi rumours rage

Sainz, Ferrari, Monaco, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sainz opens up on 'TOUGH' Ferrari tenure as Audi rumours rage

Carlos Sainz reflects on his time at Ferrari and a promising future

Luis Raya

Sunday 13 August 2023 20:27

Carlos Sainz has assessed the opportunity to be with Ferrari, weighing its pros and cons. Amidst recent rumours linking him to Audi for 2025, the Spanish driver has insisted he's in the right place to continue evolving both on and off the track.

Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula 1 history, and arguably the most renowned and acclaimed. However, the Prancing Horse haven't experienced their best seasons in recent years, and much speculation revolves around the future of drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

The Spanish driver, who has been with Ferrari for three years, has shared his thoughts in an interview for formula1.com about his feelings while being part of the Italian team, insisting he doesn't take it for granted.

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“I’m very proud, very proud. Especially making it to a team like Ferrari, wearing red every weekend. I’m not taking it for granted, because I know how tough it is and how much it has meant…How much it has cost me to make it here, how much I had to sacrifice and put an effort into this.

"But now I’m also trying to enjoy it as much as possible, trying to live my dream and at the same time keep focused and keep being better. It’s striving always to get better as a driver and be a better human.”

Sainz insisted that Ferrari is the ideal place to become a world champion and take on new challenges. His journey to the Prancing Horse wasn't straightforward, as he had to make a name for himself on the grid driving for Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren.

“Ferrari is a great place to be,” added Sainz. “Every circuit you go to you have the tifosi, you have more support than any other driver…Every race almost feels like a home race because of the amount of support you get from all the Ferrari fans around the world."

On the cons of being at Ferrari and his future

There are many pros to driving for Ferrari, but Sainz has also acknowledged the challenges and drawbacks of driving for the historic Italian team.

“It is true that it’s also demanding, it’s a very demanding team from a mental point of view because there’s more pressure surrounding it. We have a lot of sponsors and a lot of events to attend.

“You need to be in the peak of your career, I think, to be fully committed to being a Ferrari driver. I think I’m at that stage, I’m still very young but at the same time experienced, and I’m maximising it as much as I can.”

His goal, like that of all drivers, is to become a world champion someday, and he claimed that the role of his father Carlos, a multiple world champion in rallying during the 90s, has been and will continue to be essential in his career.

“I’m very lucky to have had a double world rally champion as a father that has been able to teach me many things about life, many things about racing, especially about the attitude that you need to have towards things".

“If you want to be a world champion one day, or you want to be good at what you want to do, he’s lived through those experiences that are in the end serving as an example. I’m using it as much as possible…I mean at 28, 29, he still teaches me things, gives me some good advice that I use."