Sainz clarifies comments over five-year F1 title goal
Carlos Sainz says comments about winning a Formula 1 world title within five years were “a bit misinterpreted”, but feels he is in the right place with Ferrari.
Sainz made his public Ferrari debut on Friday as he completed his first extended run-out in the new SF21 car at the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The two-time F1 podium finisher joined Ferrari for 2021 on a two-year contract after the team drafted him in as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel, partnering Charles Leclerc.
Speaking on Friday ahead of his first appearance in testing, Sainz moved to clarify comments about his goals with Ferrari over a long-term project.
Sainz was quoted in the Spanish press following Ferrari’s team launch saying he wanted to be world champion within five years, but said his comments in a video were “a bit misinterpreted”.
“Charles asked me 'where would you wish to be in five years?’” Sainz explained.
“Obviously my honest answer is, what do I wish? I wish I was world champion in five years, which is a very obvious answer for any Formula 1 driver if you ask.
“I think that was misinterpreted to say 'I want to be world champion in five years', which is a common mistake sometimes the media does or what people do when interpreting the messages and changing a bit around my words from that question.
“I wish I could be a world champion in five years of course, but I know it's going to be a very, very tricky task to do. There's a lot of competition in Formula 1 nowadays.”
Sainz attributed his success at McLaren over the past two years as being down to the stability offered under a multi-year deal, something he lacked at his previous teams.
Ferrari is currently trying to rebuild with a view on the long-term at Maranello after slumping to its worst season in 40 years in 2020.
Sainz felt he was “in the right place” and was happy to have found more stability with Ferrari, feeling at ease in his early days with the team.
“I am looking forward to try and build a bit of stability here in Ferrari,” Sainz said.
“The first couple of months have been very good, I've found the stability, I found that team that has welcomed me in a really nice manner and I'm feeling really comfortable.
“Let's see how it goes, but I'm looking forward to it.”
Related video
Verstappen hails more "predictable" Red Bull F1 car
Ricciardo fastest on Saturday morning of F1 test, Hamilton spins
Why the lack of "needle" between Red Bull and Ferrari is a mirage
OPINION: The fight for the 2022 Formula 1 world titles between Red Bull and Ferrari so far features little of the public animosity that developed between the former and Mercedes last year. But that isn’t to say things are full on friendly or won’t get much worse very quickly…
The underdog F1 squad that thrust Senna into the limelight
The Toleman TG184 was the car that could, according to legend, have given Ayrton Senna his first F1 win but for Alain Prost and Jacky Ickx at Monaco in 1984. That could be stretching the boundaries of the truth a little, but as STUART CODLING explains, the team's greatest legacy was in giving the Brazilian prodigy passed over by bigger outfits an opportunity
Why Aston Martin is unlikely to repeat Jaguar’s F1 mistakes
Two famous manufacturer teams born out of humble midfield origins, splashing the cash while attempting to rise to the top of F1 in record time. There are clear parallels between Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin and the doomed Jaguar Racing project of 22 years ago, but Mark Gallagher believes struggling Aston can avoid a similar fate.
How rejuvenated Haas recovered its F1 mojo
US-owned but until recently Russian-backed, Haas seems to have reached a turning point in car performance after three gruesome seasons. And it needs to if it’s to attract fresh investment. Team boss Gunther Steiner tells Oleg Karpov how close Haas came to the abyss.
How F1 race leaders have now lost their comfort blanket
As Formula 1 teams have settled down in understanding the new generation of cars and the way they need to maximise their performance, fresh lessons have emerged. Jonathan Noble investigates how they have brought with them an all-new kind of grand prix racing
Gilles Villeneuve's 10 greatest F1 drives
Formula 1 lost one of its brightest stars when Gilles Villeneuve was killed during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Forty years on, Motorsport.com picks out the greatest drives by a Ferrari legend
The silver lining of Ferrari’s Miami GP defeat
OPINION: Much was made of Formula 1’s first Miami Grand Prix – what turned out to be a very ‘marmite’ event for both those in attendance and everyone following on TV. But even as the on-track battle between Red Bull and Ferrari it produced continued the negative run of results for the red team, it contained a glimmer it must hope continues to shine
How imperfect Miami offered F1's drivers a unique challenge
OPINION: Despite all of the stylistic embellishments festooning Formula 1's inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the Miami International Autodrome offered the drivers a unique challenge and punished driver errors; a stark contrast to the usual cast of modern-day circuits