Former Ally Turns Foe as Max Verstappen Faces a Stiff Test to Defend His Throne: “Don’t Feel Like We Are So Far Behind”

When the 2022 season began, it seemed as though this year was really the ‘next year’ Ferrari fans had always pined for. However, as the season progressed, the Scuderia’s championship battle unraveled. Finally, as the curtains drew on the first year of F1’s new era, Max Verstappen and Red Bull emerged dominantly victorious. The fact that Red Bull had been so dominant is of crucial import as an ex-teammate has made a bold claim, that many fans would term as nothing more than a state of denial.

Carlos Sainz was almost always up there with his teammate, Charles Leclerc. However, the duo together was no match for Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s pace. That being said, you’d expect the Spaniard to take this loss in his stride and buckle up for another hopeful year in 2023. But, before the next season starts, Sainz is eager to set the record straight.

While speaking to Formula1.com, Sainz took the opportunity to dismiss the claims of Ferrari’s performance deficit to the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. He said, “I don’t feel like we are so far behind in terms of car development and car performance. If you think about it, I was on pole in Austin; we were one-two in quali. It must be that our car is actually not that far from the Red Bull.”

Read More: “Marketing Will Continue as Usual”: Despite Money Laundering Allegations, Max Verstappen Opts to Stick With Dutch Giants

Red Bull has time and again reiterated that their cost-cap breach has had nothing to do with their 2022 performance. However, it has often fallen on deaf ears. Ex-Red Bull protégé Carlos Sainz, who’s gone wheel-to-wheel with the Dutch lion back in their Toro Rosso days, was no exception.

Carlos Sainz casts a shadow of doubt over the legitimacy of Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s 2022 success

The entire F1 community has put an asterisk over Red Bull’s 2022 campaign. Primarily, it boils down to their minor overspending breach of the cost cap. And Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz wasn’t the one to back out from adding more fuel to the fire.

Back in October, he was quoted by Express UK as saying, “I think during a Formula 1 year, it is normally a combination of both, but normally Red Bull moving ahead and us, obviously, trying to keep up on development. But they have developed the car a lot, more than we expected that you could do in a budget cap situation.”

Watch This Story: Regulations of Controversial F1 Budget Cost Cap

Will Red Bull’s dominant 2022 always go down in the annals of F1 history with an asterisk?