Carlos Sainz happy for Ferrari, but disappointed with his season

An almost anonymous final for Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard concluded his season with a 4th place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. So close, but yet so far from the podium since he finished 15 seconds behind Sergio Pérez. The pilot of the Team lost sight of the podium in the first laps, while he was fighting with the Mercedes. “It was a solid race today. The start was not clean but I managed to make a nice overtake on Lewis Hamilton at turn 6, explained the Madrilenian. Unfortunately I lost time and tire life behind Lewis and from there we engaged in a two-stop strategy. »

With a more offensive choice of strategy, Carlos Sainz had to work to regain his 4th place. In the final laps of the race, the ex-driver McLaren was able to get rid of a failing Lewis Hamilton just at the time of his mechanical problem. If the pace of the Ferrari did not allow him to fight for the podium, the Spaniard was delighted with the overall result of his team over the Emirati weekend. “Overall it was a good performance, with good teamwork to finish runner-up with Charles [Leclerc] in the Drivers' Championship and 2nd in the Constructors' Championship, which was our goal this weekend . »

“My feeling with the car was better in the second part of the season,” said Sainz.

In Abu Dhabi, the No. 55 driver was able to make an initial assessment of his season, which he considers disappointing given the potential of his car. “It hasn't been an easy season, especially the first half, but I managed to find the rhythm again, and my feeling with the car was much better in the second half. » Carlos Sainz actually suffered a complicated start to the season, with several retirements and accidents which quickly excluded him from the fight for the championship.

For his second season with Ferrari, the son of the world rally champion tasted victory for the first time in his career, at Silverstone, before playing on an equal footing with Leclerc in the second half of the season. Enough to give some reasons to hope for 2023… “Even though we just finished the season, we are fully focused and motivated to push this winter and I'm already looking forward to next year. Thank you to all the team members for their efforts and determination and to all the fans for their incredible support! Roll on 2023! Forza Ferrari! »

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