Carlos Sainz Jr.'s father says Ferrari driver needs an equal car to compete with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Carlos Sainz Sr. claims his son can compete with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen provided he is given equal machinery. The legendary rally driver is the father of current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. had an exceptional first year at Ferrari, outperforming teammate Charles Leclerc and placing fifth in the drivers' standings. His father, Carlos Sainz Sr., however, believes the Spaniard is rapidly improving and is capable of competing with the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton if given an equal car. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the rally driving legend said:

“Carlos improves every year like Max. He is an exceptional driver and for now, he has only lacked a car capable of winning. It is difficult to understand what will happen this year because there are no comparisons between the cars and the regulations have changed.”

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed the loss of power the Ferrari cars suffered, claiming they had a deficit of 20 hp when compared to the Mercedes engines. Speaking about the team's performance at Monza, he said:

“We confirmed at Monza that Ferrari is missing 20 horsepower from McLaren’s Mercedes engine. We lost most of the time on the last stretch before the Parabolica, with a similar loss on the finish straight. The lack of performance is also noticeable when restarting and overtaking.”

Sainz Sr.'s opinion isn't unfounded, being a legend of motorsport himself. The senior Spanish driver won two drivers' championships for Toyota in 1990 and 1992. He also starred alongside iconic WRC driver Colin McRae, helping him build the Subaru team from the ground up. The Spaniard has also won the Dakar Rally three times and is currently participating in the 2022 edition of the series.

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Carlos Sainz Jr. turned heads in debut season with Ferrari

Carlos Sainz had an incredible debut season with Ferrari, beating teammate Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings by placing fifth. The Spaniard was brought into the team with high expectations owing to his performances with McLaren. No one, however, expected him to beat Leclerc, who has been with the team for a number of years now.

Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone claimed the 27-year-old's performance has surprised some members within the Maranello-based team. He said:

“Let’s put it this way – many people in Maranello are surprised that the Spaniard [Carlos Sainz] could give team-mate Charles Leclerc such a run for his money in 2021. For me, Leclerc was always a very good driver, but not anything more.”

The Spaniard scored 164.5 points in 2021 and achieved four podiums, the last of which was at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.