Sainz makes Leclerc 'copying' admission
Sainz makes Leclerc 'copying' admission
Carlos Sainz has conceded he had to "copy" Charles Leclerc over the past F1 season in order to turn around his year.
The Spaniard endured a torrid start to the campaign that included two retirements in the opening three laps within the first four races.
The Imola weekend, in particular, highlighted Sainz's deficiencies, with a crash in qualifying followed by retirement at the opening corner of the grand prix.
But to Sainz's credit, he bounced back to secure a first F1 pole and victory at the British Grand Prix.
Asked what had changed to assist his recovery, Sainz said: “It’s super-technical and super-detailed.
READ MORE...Sainz lists two main targets for Ferrari success
"Probably not worth putting it out in the media because it’s too technical and too precise to go so much into detail. But I can tell you that I had to reinvent myself in many areas.
“I had to copy a lot of stuff from Charles’ driving, I had to adapt the set-up of the car a bit to me.
“I made many mistakes on the way which also made me take a step backward to then take two forward."
Sainz reveals 2023 optimism
Ferrari's challenge against Red Bull died off in the second half of the season but there will be optimism that Leclerc can take the fight to Max Verstappen next year.
But Sainz is now confident he can feature following his turnaround.
“The important thing is now I am there," he added. "It would have been very easy to give up on it given how difficult it became at one point.
"But you can see in other drivers on the grid, it is not easy to turn a season around and I managed to do so.
“So, that leaves me with optimism and I’m also quite proud of the job I did with my engineers this year.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 sprint races: How do they work and what are the changes for 2024?
- 24 minutes ago
- 6
EXCLUSIVE: 'Sports should be above' politics claims F1 icon
- 57 minutes ago
Sky Pundit suggests F1 star ‘DETRIMENTAL’ to nation
- 1 hour ago
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 2 hours ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 3 hours ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- Today 12:53
Related news
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Hamilton WARNED by Ferrari chief over performance levels
Brundle issues WARNING to 'under pressure' Ferrari star
F1 pundit says SHOCK team have ‘broken the back’ of rivals
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860