"We are still super cautious" - Carlos Sainz on Ferrari's approach to developing the car over the 2022 F1 season

Carlos Sainz recently revealed that despite Ferrari's success in the 2022 season so far, the team is still very cautious regarding the development trend. The Prancing Horse is wary of what the future holds for it as compared to the development that is expected over the season from Red Bull and reigning world champions Mercedes.

At Friday's drivers' press conference, the Spaniard said:

“I mean, we’re confident we can develop our car. We already have obviously pieces running in the wind tunnel and a car in a wind tunnel that is better than the one that we have right now on track - like all the teams have. But we keep saying that Red Bull and Mercedes are the favorites, because we haven’t been in a title fight in the last few years. In the previous years, these teams have out-developed Ferrari, so we are still super cautious because we know we have a great car and we have put together on track a great car.”

Sainz then went on to elaborate on the challenges his team faces from Red Bull or Mercedes, saying:

“But these two teams have been in the title fight for the last two or three years, they know how much you need to improve, they know exactly what they need to do. And we maybe, are lacking that bit of experience. I think we have great people, and we are prepared - but we don’t know. So, we are still cautious and are expecting a bit to see what happens.”

Ferrari have gotten off to an impressive start to the 2022 season, grabbing a sensational 1-2 finish in the season opener in Bahrain. The team, however, have been very reassuring about their continued focus on development throughout the season.

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"It's where our heritage is" - Carlos Sainz on racing in Europe

F1 recently announced that Las Vegas will be added to the 2023 F1 calendar, making it the third race in the United States after Austin and Miami. Upon being asked for his opinion on the same, Carlos Sainz revealed that he would not want to stop racing in Europe. He said:

“We keep coming back to the places that we’ve always been. Business is business. Liberty and Formula 1 will look at what they have to do, I guess, for business, but I wouldn’t like to stop racing in Europe. I think it’s a great place to go racing, it’s where our heritage is and I think we need to keep coming back, even if it’s not every single year, but at least keep it on the calendar.”

Carlos Sainz is a Spaniard, driving for an iconic Italian team with a Monegasque team-mate. It is fair to say that Europe is close to the 27-year-old's heart.