Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz believes he will remain with the team for the “medium and long term” as team boss Mattia Binotto ponders contract negotiations.
The Spaniard performed remarkably well in his first season with Ferrari in 2021, outperforming his famous teammate Charles Leclerc despite limited testing. He won four podiums during the year and outscored him in points.
“I had quite high expectations because I like to set the bar as high as possible to try my best to meet it,” Sainz said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS, reflecting on the upcoming season.
“With a high target, you push yourself more during the season.”
“I can’t say if I’ve met them all or not, but I knew it would be a season of adaptation, hard, especially at the beginning, and the most important thing was to finish the year stronger than I started it, with a good progression, and I have more than achieved that.”
Historically, Carlos Sainz has been having short stays at the teams he has raced for with his longest stint being 56 races with Toro Rosso between 2015 and 2017. However, he has no plans to leave the Maranello-based outfit now that he has established himself there.
“Considering that I have another year left on my contract, I’m not in a hurry,” the Spaniard said on extending his current deal.
“But it’s true that right now I don’t see myself anywhere else but Ferrari in the medium or long term.”
“I am happy here, I enjoy it a lot and I go home after every race with a smile on my face and a sense of pride for being a Ferrari driver.”
“And if you add good results to that, I don’t think I’ll be better off than at Ferrari anywhere. I am happy to be here.”
That sentiment was shared by Ferrari’s CEO, who predicted that subsequent talks will be dominated by Sainz’s’smooth operator’ moniker.
“Carlos had a great year,” Binotto said at the end of 2021 season.
“When we signed him a year ago, we said that the winter would be the time to talk and review everything that happened during the season.”
“So we will do that in the winter. There will be a joint review of the entire season and we will talk about what our future will look like.”
“It will be, I think, an easy discussion, no doubt,” the Ferrari boss added.
“I don’t know what he’s got in mind, first I would like to understand how he’s pleased, have a review of him with the season and look together to the future.
“So no doubt that we’ll sit down and try to find an agreement. That will be part of the winter period.”
