[Auto] Carlos Sainz: this is how he has silenced those who did not see him as a Ferrari leader

[[M]anuel]

The Madrid driver has already surpassed the points achieved in his last year at McLaren, which had been his best season so far, and is in an intense fight with Charles Leclerc in the general classification: they are virtually tied on points.

When Carlos Sainz was announced as Sebastian Vettel's replacement in March 2020, many viewed the move with skepticism. What had the Spanish shown to replace a whole four-time champion in the world up to that moment ?, they wondered at that time in the usual gatherings.

The first option that everyone thought was that he was going to be a squire for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque came from 'retiring' to Vettel and his long-term renewal (the first time a Ferrari driver had been signed for more than two years) suggested a secondary role for Sainz, something that he himself and his media machinery (which seeks to continue the flow that Fernando Alonso still keeps very active) were quick to deny.

A year and eight months later it has become clear, numbers in hand, that Mattia Binotto's personal bet was not wrong. That this squire job has faded, and Ferrari itself is aware of it.

A 'Pilot of the day' award in recognition
'Facta non verba', the well-known Latin aphorism that literally translates as 'facts, not words' serves to summarize what Sainz has meant for Ferrari. Already at McLaren he demonstrated an innate ability to work, something inherited from both his father and his automotive references, including Fernando Alonso but not only him.

"When he was in the lower categories, we told him to stay and talk to the engineers, to ask why he was losing a tenth there or there, and above all what he could do to improve," said one of the people closest to his environment who You know him best at an event held with the press not long ago.

That tireless way of working was seen from day one. Unlike many other drivers who have been through the Scuderia, the first thing Sainz did when the 2020 season ended was move to Maranello. It's just under a fifteen-minute walk from your home to Gestione Sportiva, the Scuderia's headquarters in the small town attached to Modena. The first surprised were those responsible for the Italian team, who in the first days did not know what task to entrust to their new pilot.

Ten months later, the results of this way of understanding his arrival at Ferrari speak for themselves: he has not abandoned in any of the 16 races held, he has achieved three podiums and has finished in the top 10 in 14. Result: 116.5 points, a virtual draw (only half a point separates them) with a Charles Leclerc who is playing his third season.

Being, in addition, his first year at Ferrari, he has already improved his best campaign in Formula 1: with six races to play, he has eleven and a half points more than in 2020, his last season at McLaren and so far his ceiling in the general classification.

He maintains a cordial and close relationship with the Monegasque. It does not reach the degree of friendship (or 'bromance') that he had with Lando Norris, since by character it is easier to be the British, but they have understood that they must push together to return Ferrari to the top. Proof of this is the attitude of the Spaniard when facing the Turkish GP: in qualifying, from which he would start last yes or yes, he decided to leave at the last minute of Q1 to give his teammate a slipstream.

link: https://www.motor.es/formula-1/carlos-sainz-lider-ferrari-puntos-campeonato-202181867.html