Despite having a rapid car in the 2022 season, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz seems to be struggling this season. The Spanish driver has not been able to match the pace of his teammate and championship leader Charles Leclerc with the same car.
A new contract extension before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was supposed to be a confidence booster for Carlos. But it turned out to be another struggle of a weekend as he crashed out of the main race on the first lap.
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Despite early exits from races for Carlos, former Ferrari team principal and current F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes the incident should not affect Sainz psychologically going forward in 2022. Domenicali revealed that the Spanish driver needs to remain calm and not get stuck in the issues that he’s currently facing.
READ MORE: Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?
F1 CEO comments on the poor form of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz
The Italian showed full confidence in the abilities of Carlos as a driver. He also commented on the contract extension of the Spanish driver before the Imola race. He mentioned it was a sign of confidence from the team toward Sainz.
“Carlos is certainly a very talented driver. Unfortunately, Ricciardo touched him on a slippery track. But these are episodes that if you don’t know how to manage them well, you can get into psychological difficulties that are difficult to deal with,” said Stefano.
“He has renewed his contract for another two years, so the guarantees are there, he just has to be calm and he will certainly achieve excellent results,” said the F1 CEO.
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Carlos really needs to cut down on his mistakes if he wants to stay in contention for the championship this season. He has a perfect opportunity to mount a challenge again his teammate and Red Bulls.
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But with every mistake he makes, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to bounce back and recover from his weekends. He certainly has the minerals required to challenge for the title and show consistency throughout the season.
But if he fails to let deliver on the promise, he might have to settle for a number 2 role within the team. There is still an ample amount of time for him to get to grips with the new 2022 cars.