Ferrari to improve but Carlos Sainz not expecting to challenge Mercedes

Ferrari

Ferrari to improve but Sainz not expecting to challenge Mercedes

Ferrari were competitive with Mercedes in 2019 before a poor season followed last year

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Saturday 13 February 2021 09:00

Carlos Sainz is expecting an improvement from Ferrari this season but warned there will be no miraculous change until the new regulations are introduced in 2022.

Sainz has joined the Scuderia off the back of the team's worst Formula 1 campaign since 1980 after finishing sixth in the constructors' championship.

Ferrari's issues last season centred around the engine which was underpowered in comparison to its three rivals. The new system for this year has given Sainz optimism there will be an upturn in results.

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Asked in an interview - that included GPFans Global - shortly before he joined Ferrari as to his overall goal for this season, Sainz replied: "I think it’s very difficult to tell.

"I already see some positive signs and improvements and obviously there is a new engine coming which should again improve a bit the situation.

"But I think 2021 is a difficult year for everyone. We all know Mercedes is going to keep dominating the sport and without a big regulation change, there’s a big chance that will continue in 2021."

The forthcoming season will be the last for the current breed of F1 cars, with a new era being ushered in a year later than initially planned that will hopefully lead to closer racing.

Sainz believes that due to the dominance Mercedes has enjoyed over the rest of the field, teams should switch their focus entirely to 2022 as soon as possible.

"I think Ferrari and pretty much everyone who is not Mercedes should focus more on 2022 and trying to make that the biggest change in the competitiveness of the team," he explained.

"I’m already confident that Ferrari knows that and are going to try and do that and that 2021 is going to be a transition year.

"I will be trying to build good relationships and getting to know the car race by race and then in 2022 we start with a clean sheet of paper and new regulations and it’s going to be more important also."