"Nowhere better than Ferrari" - Carlos Sainz on his debut season with the iconic Italian team

Carlos Sainz says that he is proud and happy to be a Ferrari driver and that he won’t be any better in other teams than he is with the Scuderia.

The Spaniard was speaking in an interview with AS Magazine. When asked about his future with the Prancing Horse, as the team is known, Sainz said:

“Considering I have another year left on my contract, I'm in no rush.”

“But it is true that right now I do not see myself anywhere other than Ferrari in the medium to long term. I am happy here, I enjoy it a lot and I go home after each race with a smile and pride at being a Ferrari driver.”

“And if you add good results to that, I think I won't be better anywhere than at Ferrari. I am happy to be here.”

Furthermore, Sainz says that he is happy to have fulfilled the goals he set for his debut season with Ferrari.

“I had pretty high expectations because I like to set the bar as high as possible so I can do my best to meet it.”

“With a high goal, you demand more of yourself during the season. I can't say if I have fulfilled them all or not, but I knew it would be a season of adaptation, tough, especially at the beginning, and the most important thing was to finish the year stronger than I started, with a good progression. And that I have more than fulfilled.”

Carlos Sainz joined Ferrari ahead of the 2021 season, replacing four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel. He quickly adapted his driving style to extract the maximum out of Ferrari’s 2021 challenger.

His consistency and quick learning helped Ferrari beat rivals, McLaren, to P3 in the constructors' championship, while Carlos Sainz himself beat his teammate Charles Leclerc to secure P5 in the drivers' standing.

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Ferrari initially "skeptical" of Carlos Sainz’s potential

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed that the team was initially unsure of Carlos Sainz’s potential when they signed him to replace Sebastian Vettel in mid-2020.

Binotto has, however, said that Sainz has since shown what he can do, rewarding the trust that the team had put in him. In an interview with Sky Italia, Binotto said:

“Sainz has shown his full value. We were skeptical when we announced him, but he was taken on because we were convinced, he could bring points to the Scuderia in the Constructors’ Championship, and this year he has shown that.”

“He has finished every race, he has always scored points except for two GPs, he has had a great championship and he has settled in quickly.”

“He is a driver we know we can count on. It’s a beautiful couple if we think about our future.”

Fondly called the “smooth operator”, Carlos Sainz is known for his smooth, consistent driving and quick learning abilities. Throughout his F1 career, Sainz has raced for several teams, often year-on-year, and has always been able to quickly get up to speed.