“Kept The Causes of My Problems Quite Secret”: Carlos Sainz Reveals Unheard Frustrations to Being Overshadowed By Ferrari Teammate Charles Leclerc

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is confident in his skills as a driver and is pretty vocal about it. In a recent interview with Motorsport Italy, the driver got candid about all things racing. He talked about his skills, his flaws, the cars, his equation with his teammate, Charles, and all the adaptations that the sport demands.

Carlos Sainz has always been someone to speak his mind, and this time is no different. He shared his experiences in depth and spilled all the beans in regard to his journey in F1. Despite being a talented driver himself, Carlos has been constantly pitted against his fellow rising Ferrari star, Charles Leclerc.

Amongst his difficulties with his partner, he also shared that adjusting to the new car and regulations took a bit of time.

Brushing on the subject of adaptation, Sainz sheds light on his struggles from the previous season. He expressed the beginning of 2021 was rather ‘frustrating’ for him as he knew what the limits of the car were. This held him back from putting his best foot forward.

He further added, “This year we finally had a competitive car available, a single-seater capable of aiming for the top, and suddenly I found myself in a completely new position for me, that is, more than two-tenths from my teammate [Charles Leclerc] and without understanding why.” [Translated by Google]

More on his frustrations of being overshadowed by his teammate, Sainz said, “I kept the causes of my problems quite secret, I believe that people who know this sport and those who do analysis deepened by now they know me, and for my part I understood the origin of the problems I had.”

Read More: Carlos Sainz Believes He Is “Better Than Anyone Else” Including Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton

Sainz further went on to explain how he tackled the situation by himself.

How did Carlos Sainz deal with the pressure?

Carlos Sainz is a capable driver and is quite self-aware of what he brings to the table. Here’s what he had to say regarding dealing with his frustrations. Navigating difficult situations and communicating with the team was something Sainz opted to do.

He also mentioned that he worked on changing his driving style to suit the car better and that isn’t a very easy task to do. He said, “In a few weekends I went astray with the set-up, compromising the stage balance, and all of this accumulated frustration. Then came the Canadian Grand Prix, and from that moment I found my way.”

Shedding light on the technical side of things, the 27-year-old reported, “The team obviously listened to me, and was always aware of my difficulties. Only late in the season was it possible to have a couple of technical innovations that really helped me find more performances,” he concluded.

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Although he had to fight some back luck this season, Sainz has always looked to get better. Going forward, how do you think will things turn out for him in comparison to his teammate, Charles Leclerc?