Carlos Sainz is on his third season with Ferrari, and claims he is very proud of his journey in Red so far. He was speaking in an interview with Formula 1's Official Website.
Sainz replaced Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2021 as the former was shown the door at Maranello after six years that did not yield any Title success for the German with the the Scuderia.
Sainz partnered with Ferrari's chosen one, Charles Leclerc, but has held his own pretty well against him over the course of their partnership. While Leclerc has been the faster one in terms of raw pace, Sainz has shown to be the better racer, a thinking driver in the cockpit.
"I’m very proud, very proud," Sainz said evaluating his Ferrari journey up to now. "Especially making it to a team like Ferrari, wearing red every weekend.
"I’m not taking it for granted, because I know how tough it is and how much it has meant… How much it has cost me to make it here, how much I had to sacrifice and put an effort into this.
"But now I’m also trying to enjoy it as much as possible, trying to live my dream and at the same time keep focused and keep being better. It’s striving always to get better as a driver and be a better human," he added.
You have to be at your peak to be at Ferrari
Sainz joined Ferrari from McLaren where he came close to winning his first F1 race at Monza in 2020, a race Pierre Gasly won. His first victory however was in Red at the 2022 British Grand Prix where he also took his first pole position.
Sainz has added two more poles since then, and believes - given where he is in his F1 career - it the best time for him to be with a team like Ferrari.
"Ferrari is a great place to be," he said. "Every circuit you go to you have the tifosi, you have more support than any other driver… Every race almost feels like a home race because of the amount of support you get from all the Ferrari fans around the world.
"It is true that it’s also demanding, it’s a very demanding team from a mental point of view because there’s more pressure surrounding it. We have a lot of sponsors and a lot of events to attend.
"You need to be in the peak of your career, I think, to be fully committed to being a Ferrari driver. I think I’m at that stage, I’m still very young but at the same time experienced, and I’m maximising it as much as I can," he concluded.
Sainz, as Ferrari, has been having a tough time in 2023 so far. He is seventh in the 2023 F1 Drivers' Championship with 92 points.
The Spaniard's contract with Ferrari runs out at the end of next season, with speculation mounting regarding his future at Maranello, as various reports claiming he may be on his way to join the Audi/Sauber F1 project.
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