In his second season in Ferrari colors and his first appearance in a red car at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, Carlos Sainz Jr. senses the Montrealers’ love for the Scuderia.
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The Spaniard, who made his debut in Formula 1 with three seasons at Toro Rosso from 2015 to 2017, Renault in 2017 and 2018 and McLaren in 2019 and 2020 before joining Ferrari last year, is having a very different experience this summer .
Photo agency QMI, Joël Lemay
“There’s really a lot of interest in Ferrari,” he said. When we left the hotel in the morning, between 50 and 100 supporters were waiting for us. They take photos and wish us luck. This is one of the very interesting aspects of wearing Ferrari colours. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. »
long scarcity
At the first two races of the season in Bairen and Saudi Arabia, the 27-year-old, whose father Carlos Sainz was a two-time world rally champion, was on the podium and did not finish three times.
At 148, Sainz Jr. is still the active driver with the most career starts without having tasted the thrill of victory. Third on this list is Quebec’s Lance Stroll with 108 starts.
Who drives the starting number 55 believes to be able to put the brakes on this unpleasant series.
“For the first time in my career, I’m backing a car that can compete with the best,” said the man who clinched his first career podium in Brazil in 2019 wearing McLaren colors — as he had benefited from a disqualification of Lewis Hamilton to climb to the third step of the podium. It’s a great feeling to know that you can fight for victory. »
A contract in hand
Even if his teammate Charles Leclerc is doing better, Sainz Jr. doesn’t have to worry about his near-term future, unlike other drivers on the board. In fact, he has signed a two-year contract extension ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which is the subject of controversy at Ferrari’s Imola site.
In 2021 he took over from four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who left the Scuderia by mutual consent.
Watch out for marmots!
The one who was surprised during the first free practice session on Friday when he saw a marmot in front of him just behind a bend is currently in fifth place in the drivers’ standings with 83 points.
Sainz Jr. has four podiums to his name since the start of the season.
DRIVERS WITH MOST FORMULA 1 STARTS WITHOUT A VICTORY
Source: formula1.com