“I Could Have Become a Second Driver but…”: Carlos Sainz Admits the Only Reason He Didn’t Settle for Ferrari Wingman Role

Carlos Sainz displayed some real moves behind the wheel at the Brazilian GP. He, along with the Mercedes boys, was the only one who overtook the Dutch lion at the Interlagos circuit. But ever since the season started, there are many speculations regarding the Spaniard being treated as the second driver of the Prancing Horse. In light of this, Carlos Sainz, talking in an interview with Corriere, cleared all the rumors.

Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021 to replace the German driver, Sebastian Vettel. The 28-year-old teamed up with Charles Leclerc and since then has faced a tough battle with the Monegasque. The Maranello-based team picked Sainz, who was in a search of a better opportunity. Although it was a breakthrough chance for the Spaniard, he still chose to clear that he won’t be racing as the second pilot.

However, time and again Charles Leclerc has been considered the first driver of the team, and now putting an end to all the speculations Carlos Sainz opened up about his treatment in Scuderia.

When asked, If he ever felt treated as a second driver at Ferrari, the Spaniard replied, ” Neither in Ferrari nor anywhere else. I don’t deserve it. And indeed I was pleased with one thing.” [Translated using Google]

When asked further what’s that one thing was, he said, “Respect. Because after the first part of the season, I could have become a second driver. But I reacted.”

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Carlos Sainz is standing at P6 in driver Standing and if it wasn’t for Ferrari’s strategic failures and reliability issues, the Spaniard could have possibly sat in the top three in the WDC. Last month, the Ex McLaren driver disclosed his struggles in the Scuderia.

Carlos Sainz describes his early struggles in the 2022 season

Charles Leclerc has a 56 points lead over his Spanish teammate. While the Monegasque driver is still competing for the second spot in the WDC, Sainz is left behind. The season comparatively has gone in the favor of Leclerc. While Sainz was seen retiring from the grid six times, the Monegasque faced the DNF only on three occasions.

The Spaniard pointed out the slower start at the beginning when asked where did he struggle the most this year. He said, “Those first six or seven races when the car was the most competitive, [Leclerc] was doing the pole positions and winning the races, you know?”

Adding further Sainz said, “Lately obviously I got a lot of more up to speed and I’m driving a lot better the car, but also it’s true that the car is not maybe at the level that it was at the beginning of the year.”

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The 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is right around the corner. There are a lot of questions that still are unanswered, and fans are curious, thinking about the different outcomes. Amidst all this, do you Carlos Sainz can have a magical evening at the Yas Marina Circuit?