Unlike Marc Márquez, his good friend and neighbor in La Finca de Pozuelo de Alarcón, Carlos Sainz (29) has no doubts about where he will race in 2024. Because he has one more year of contract (like Cervera’s with Honda ) and because he has faith in Ferrari. This is what he declared yesterday in Madrid a few hours before starting the journey towards the final stage of the F-1 season, from Friday in Qatar: “I am in the best place to try to win Red Bull next year another time”, said the Madrid player, who hopes to renew with the Maranello team.
“I will try to have my future decided in the winter. Now the priority for both sides is to finish the season as well as possible. Why get distracted when you have four months of winter to sit quietly and talk about it? In the short, medium and long term you already know what my priority is. If you’re in a good moment it’s always easier to negotiate, but I don’t think the last few races have changed the expectations Ferrari have of me or I of them. We both know about our mutual capacity and potential, even without having won in Singapore”, commented the pilot in a meeting with the press organized by his sponsor Estrella Galicia 0,0. He was referring to his two great moments this season, third place at Monza and victory in Singapore. Two results that have undoubtedly strengthened his status at Ferrari in front of his teammate Leclerc – from whom he takes 15 points in the World Cup -, and also his international image.
“I feel valued, I don’t know why you say I’m undervalued being at Ferrari, at the best team in history”, Sainz was angry, who admits, however, that his first triumph (second of his career) has been able to “have a positive impact” on the fans.
Sainz, fifth in the World Drivers’ Championship, 24 points behind Fernando Alonso and 40 behind Lewis Hamilton, considers it very difficult to climb to third position in the remaining six races. “I would need Lewis and Fernando to have several zeros, and I don’t see the world champions having many zeros, the truth, with the experience they have”, says the Madrid player, who prefers to set another, more collective goal: ” Finishing according to the Constructors’ World Championship is the main objective, especially considering that we have been able to cut quite a few points off Mercedes – 20 points away -; it would be a good plus of motivation for the team before starting 2024″.
Individually, Sainz is considering “achieving positive results, getting the maximum performance out of the car, and if the opportunity for a podium or victory comes, to be there to achieve it, but with this car we don’t know if it can happen”.
Regarding his course, the Madrid native has no complaints. “I have to see how I can do this type of ‘put it all together’ race as I call it: put the pounds, the qualy, the race, the strategy, the tires… and do it for the whole whole season… But that’s the sport: I do the same thing as at the beginning of the year and suddenly the results start coming out. You have to be patient, it will come…”.