Ferrari F1 team boss Mattia Binotto believes their new driver Carlos Sainz has brought the necessary fresh air to their team while Spaniard believes that due to the different characteristics of McLaren and Ferrari cars he will not be able to give his maximum in the first race.
After two years at McLaren, in which he finished sixth in the drivers’ standings, Sainz arrived at Ferrari, which had the worst season in 40 years in 2020, but judging by the first two free practice sessions, the new SF21 is much more competitive than the problematic SF1000.
Ferrari had one driver in the top five in both free practice sessions, and Binotto confirmed on the eve of the start of the season that the main shortcomings of last year’s car had been corrected and that they were no longer so slow on the straights.
Binotto also commented on the cooperation between their drivers Leclerc and Sainz and believes that Sainz’s arrival brought the necessary fresh air to the team from Maranello.
“We knew he was a strong driver, we knew he was going to be fast, as well as on long runs,” Binotto told Sky Sports F1.
“He brings the necessary experience because even though he is very young, he is an experienced driver in Formula 1 [he made his debut in 2015 in Toro Rosso as well as Verstappen].”
“But I think he gets along very well with Charles and the whole team. He’s integrated well and there’s a very positive mood in the team.”
“I think it’s about the fresh air, you need it sometimes and that’s what we’ve been looking for. We’re very happy about that.”
Sainz is confident that he can do a good job in Ferrari and that he has worked hard to be as ready as possible for the first race of the season.
“I want to enjoy this journey to the maximum, it’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was ten,” Sainz commented on his move to Ferrari.
“Going from one team to another is no small thing in terms of procedures and how the car behaves on the track. It’s actually amazing how different the cars are, and they end up setting very similar lap times.”
“It will probably not be that easy to push the car to its full potential in the first race, but it’s also a question of feeling.”
