“I had a lot of things to learn from Charles Leclerc”: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz looks back on a successful first year at the Scuderia alongside his new teammate

Carlos Sainz admits that he had to change his driving style and take notes from Charles Leclerc to settle in with Ferrari.

Sainz’s first season with the Italian team has been a huge success for both parties. The 27-year-old achieved 4 podium finishes in 2021 and finished 5th in the Drivers’ Standings. He has earned plaudits in the world of F1 for finding his feet at the Scuderia as quickly as he did.

In a recent interview, Sainz looked back on his first year in Maranello and how he adapted to life in Ferrari. The Madrid born driver admitted that he had to change his driving style to bring the best out of his SF21. He also said that he had to learn a lot of new things from his teammate Leclerc.

One year already! 😱😱 https://t.co/GsxEFHmXNx

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) December 19, 2021

“Since the moment I arrived at winter testing in Bahrain, I had a lot of things to learn from Charles,” said Sainz.

“But little by little, adapting and trying to learn from him, I managed to get to a good level.”

“The way that he was driving the Ferrari in a particular way to be as quick. As fast as he’s been all year long, I’ve had to adapt myself to it. I had to copy a lot of the stuff that I was seeing on the data.”

Also read: Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto downplays the Scuderia’s title expectations come the 2022 F1 season

Carlos Sainz is looking forward to the 2022 season with Ferrari

Sainz was officially the ‘best of the rest’ in his first year with Ferrari. He finished only behind the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers in the standings. Hence, expectations will be high from him come the 2022 season.

The former McLaren driver revealed that he was happy with his progress this year. However, he realizes that Leclerc is still outperforming him on many aspects and will try his best to match up to the Monegasque’s level when F1 returns.

“There are still things that when we will go into the winter break, he’s much stronger than me in certain areas.”

“We will exchange some information. And try and both become better drivers learning from each other,” he concluded.

Charles Leclerc finished 7th in the Driver’s Standings behind his teammate and McLaren driver Lando Norris.

Also read: Sebastian Vettel admits he’s happier at Aston Martin but has no regrets over his stint with the Scuderia