Carlos Sainz will face his last race as a Ferrari rookie at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the slim chance of being fifth in the drivers’ championship. The 2021 of the man from Madrid has been full of ups and downs, but he has left plenty of signs of his talent and has managed to be on three podiums, sharing positions of honor with the two contenders for the title.
During Thursday’s FIA press conference at Yas Marina, he was asked about this fight between Hamilton and Verstappen, to which Sainz replied: “I think it’s the ideal setting for Formula 1 as a sport, and it’s super exciting to see. When I got back to my room on Sunday night, I put on the replay of the Jeddah race to see what everyone was talking about.”
The controversy broke out at the moment in which the two touched, and the Ferrari man commented on it: “I had the opportunity to see it and I realized how hard the battle is being, how in each race they are fighting for the title, and how good it is for F1.
“Unfortunately, on Twitter and social networks, there is a great polarization, I would not say an abuse between the fans, but very divided. That makes it less exciting when you see two sides fight, I think it is better to be more neutral, enjoy of the fight and see who wins the best”, he said.
However, knowing what his words may entail, the Spaniard added: “I’m not going to personally comment on who has been my driver of the season, because if I say one, a part will criticize me. It’s too polarized, so I don’t want to position myself because it doesn’t make sense to see what happens on social networks”.
“I think Verstappen and Hamilton have had incredible seasons, and I just want them to maintain that level and do it cleanly this weekend to give a good image of the sport, above all for the good of F1, not just for the good of F1.” show. An impression of sportsmanship and entertainment should be given in the grand finale,” he said.
Despite the fact that Hamilton and Verstappen have received all the attention, Sainz will close a solid first year with Ferrari, very close to his teammate, Charles Leclerc, which shows his ability to adapt.
“There are small details that I would have liked to improve, but that requires a deeper analysis. I am still fighting for fifth position in the world championship, and the third place in the constructors is a good point, so I have had a decent season to be there”, commented.
“The hardest thing to achieve was quickly adapting to the team, having a good integration, being fast right out of the box, without any winter tests, and I finished stronger than I started.”
After scoring three podium finishes in 2021 , Sainz hopes this is just the start of something bigger with the Italians: “In this way, I am going to be prepared and ready when possible. This has helped me to achieve a good balance and give a I step up as a driver this year. Making this season finish higher prepares me for what comes in 2022.”
When asked about how he prepared to don the red suit, he explained: “I had a lot of pressure being a Ferrari driver. I started to have more commitments, and that made my schedule full, and that’s stressful, but it has It’s been pretty easy for me to keep remembering that I’m achieving a dream.
“It’s driving in the best team in F1, I keep thinking about what I’m doing and that makes me go into every weekend with good energy and trying to learn to make sure I can fight for a championship with Ferrari one day.”
