Carlos Sainz is preparing for the Japanese F1 GP with the need to improve results with Williams F1 after the first two races in which much more was expected of him. He has also taken the opportunity to give his opinion on the driver change at Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz confident in Japan
Carlos Sainz did not have the best start to the F1 season in his debut with Williams. During the Australian GP he had to retire on the first lap, behind the Safety Car, when he failed to set up the car behind the safety car. During the Chinese GP he was able to complete the race, but his performance was well below that of the car and his team mate.
However, Carlos Sainz is confident that he can improve his results because the car is there, he just needs to feel comfortable behind the wheel of the FW47 and he hopes that the team has found solutions to the underperformance in China.
“It’s clear that we were very fast in Bahrain and we were quite fast in Australia, in the dry, up to Q3 and then it’s true that we had the problem in the race and that in China we weren’t fast and we were two or three tenths of a second per lap down in the race and it’s something we’ve been looking at carefully”. “China is certainly a very particular circuit, with a very particular asphalt and it is clear that what we had there did not work with the Williams”
Changes and his driving
The Madrid driver admits that adapting to his new car is not as easy as he expected or as he felt in the Bahrain tests. He recognizes that he is adapting his driving style to the characteristics of the FW47 and to the Japanese circuit, and that this involves a period of adaptation: “We are working on changing my driving style a little for that type of circuit and that type of asphalt and then, on the other hand, also changing the car, adapting it a little more in my direction and focusing a little on what went well for us in the Bahrain tests”.
“So, with those experiences and those theories, we will face Suzuka with enthusiasm and motivation to see if we can take a small step forward.”
Carlos Sainz and Red Bull
In recent weeks, everything has blown up at Red Bull, after Tsunoda took Lawson’s seat after only two races. For Carlos Sainz, the Austrian brand’s actions in this matter come as no surprise.
“I just don’t think it’s anything new, it’s Red Bull and the way they’re managing things, something we’ve seen in the last ten years in Formula 1 or since I’ve been there. That’s how they do things there. One day you get your chance and the next day, if you don’t do what they expect of you, you get promoted or demoted. That’s how things are done at Red Bull.”
Carlos Sainz understands that having Max Verstappen as a teammate doesn’t help at all, as he seems to be the only one capable of getting the most out of the car and, as he has shown in recent years, with exceptional results. “Everyone says it’s the toughest job in Formula 1, being alongside Max in a car he knows so well”.
Finally, he commented on the rumors about whether I can get to Red Bull last season or if he will be able to join the Austrian team if Verstappen finally leaves the team at the end of this or next season.
“I don’t know if that’s what people are talking about. I think it‘s a good thing for me, but at the same time, I don’t care, because I‘m in the place where I want to be now, in a good place for my future. I can’t wait to see where we get with Williams.”