Sainz: Verstappen is fast in every situation

Sainz made his Formula 1 debut in 2015 at Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), when he was still a member of the Red Bull driver program, and shared the garage with Max Verstappen, who was on his maiden F1 season as well.

Sainz held his own well against the 2021 F1 Champion in their Toro Rosso days, but while Verstappen remained within the Red Bull roster, Sainz did not, and after spells at Renault and McLaren, his path lead him to Ferrari as he replaced Sebastian Vettel at the end of the 2020 season.

Ahead of his second season with the Scuderia, Sainz was asked in an interview with Corriere della Sera, what he admired or detested about Verstappen.

"I admire his ability to be fast in every situation, the courage he shows in trying his own way, a critical overtake. I don't detest anything.

"It's better to say so, otherwise the catchphrase would start," he joked.

Verstappen won the 2021 F1 Title after a season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton, that ended with controversy at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, after the unorthodox manner in which Race Director Michael Masi managed the safety car period caused by the crash of Williams' Nicholas Latifi towards the end of the race.

"Very badly," Sainz told Corrier della Sera. "And I was surprised at how he avoided making a mess at the end of the race.

"To lose the title on the last lap like that, it's just hard to accept. I respect him more than ever for how he managed to behave. On the podium we exchanged a few words, he was really struggling," the Spaniard revealed.

As of the messy management of final race of the 2021 season, Sainz said: "It is necessary not to repeat the same mistake.

"Every soccer match generates a controversy. We need to prevent F1 from approaching those tensions. But the situation does not seem disastrous to me, I am convinced that we are moving towards an improvement," he added.

Sainz's new F1 ride for 2022, the Ferrari F1-75, on which the team are pinning their hopes, will be revealed on February 17.