Carlos Sainz signed with Ferrari until 2022. Although Mattia Binotto has always been open to extending his contract, in Maranello they have Mick Schumacher at Haas and Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo making merits to take over from Madrid. Luckily for Carlos Sainz, his future is now in the hands of a Spaniard, Iñaki Rueda . The one who until recently was Ferrari strategy director has promoted becoming the new sports director of the Italian team.
Thus, Iñaki Rueda will have to decide whether or not to extend Carlos Sainz’s contract. Although he has only contested six races with Ferrari , he has been on the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. This is something that the Italian press has taken advantage of to ask for its renewal. “If he continues to add good results and work this well with Leclerc, Carlos will have the opportunity to continue at Maranello and win races and in turn, help Ferrari fight for the title. If that happens, you don’t have to be afraid of Mick Schumacer , he still has to show a lot in Formula 1 ”, said Luigi Perna after Sainz’s second place in Monte Carlo.
Along the same lines, Paolo Filisetti pointed out: “ I don’t see Mick as an imminent danger for Carlos . Mick has his father’s last name, but he has yet to prove his maturity. It is crucial for him to show his talent early, and I hope Ferrari does not choose its future drivers for marketing reasons alone. “
The restructuring at Ferrari that has favored Iñaki Rueda
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has confirmed the restructuring of the Italian team. On the one hand Mattia Binotto has stopped sitting on the wall to go inside the box and play a role similar to that of Toto Wolff in Mercedes. Unlike Mattia Binotto, who will be more liberated to lead the manufacture of the car that Ferrari will put on the track in 2022, Laurent Mekies will play what was his role until now and will be obliged to attend all races.
The biggest promotion at Ferrari has been led by Ravin Jain . This young 26-year-old engineer has been appointed Chief of Strategy of the Scuderia, a position held by Iñaki Rueda to date. After a brief stint in the mathematical modeling department, Ravin Jain became part of Ferrari’s strategy wing in 2017, becoming its top manager four years later.
As for Iñaki Rueda, he has also earned a promotion at 42 years old . The Spaniard has been appointed as Ferrari’s new sports director and will be Laurent Mekies’ main supporter. In Maranello they have revealed that Iñaki Rueda has already been performing these functions since the beginning of the season, which is why he has taken a step aside in the strategic field.
Iñaki Rueda’s career
The Madrilenian began his career in motrocross motorsport, where he competed from 1991 to 1999. Meanwhile, from 1997 to 2003, he was enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he graduated in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Vehicle Dynamics, Controls and Systems.
With the dream of being able to work in Formula 1, Iñaki Rueda completed a Master’s degree in motorsports at the University of Cranfield in the United Kingdom. The Spaniard worked for McLaren Electronics , but his desire to be close to the track led him to join the Jordan Grand Prix as a systems engineer in 2005. This same position is the one he held at Renault , the team he joined in 2006. In 2011 Iñaki Rueda was appointed Head of Strategy for the Lotus F1 Team , a position he held until 2014, the year in which he joined Ferrari as Head of Strategy.
