Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has praised Carlos Sainz for turning his season around after a difficult start to the 2022 season.
Carlos Sainz suffered a difficult start to the 2022 season. Although the Spaniard finished P2 in the opening race in Bahrain, he suffered a slump in his form later on.
But in Australia and Imola, he suffered consecutive retirements due to driver error. At this time, Sainz was given an extension on his Ferrari contract.
Sainz signed an extension that would keep him at Ferrari until 2024. And due to a poor start, he has been criticised as not an ideal choice to partner Charles Leclerc who was leading the Drivers standings.
Time to recharge batteries! 💪🏼🔋
–#Carlossainz pic.twitter.com/VHNBq84Ch8
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) August 3, 2022
But in the following weekends, Sainz improved his performance with consistent results. And the Spaniard bagged his first F1 victory in the 2022 British GP.
Team principal Mattia Binotto has appreciated Sainz for putting in the efforts despite his difficult start. He said, “I think Carlos is a strong driver.”
He added, “This year he had a difficult start to the season. But he has studied and worked a lot and the developments we have brought to the car have helped his driving style.”
Also Read: Carlos Sainz outpaced the entire F1 grid and was fastest in the 2022 French GP by 2 seconds
How Carlos Sainz turned around his season
Carlos Sainz had a slow start to the 2022 season. But after his triumph in Silverstone, the Spaniard has helped Ferrari stay put in the Constructors’ championship race.
Sainz faced trouble getting accustomed to the F1-75. The new generation F1 car, along with porpoising, was a challenge that the Spaniards had to conquer.
Mattia Binotto has claimed Sainz’s pace in the car has greatly improved since the start of the season. He is now on par with Charles Leclerc in terms of race pace.
It has also been a month since we got the stop inventing iconic radio from strategist Carlos Sainz that led him to his first F1 win ❤️ pic.twitter.com/q2SvwJcsow
— Mari (@very_berry99) August 3, 2022
Binotto claimed, “He has more confidence with the car and is proving to be very steady and fast. But again, it is not a surprise for us. It is what we expect from him.”
He adds, “If I look at the very close confrontation in the championship and the battle for the Constructors’ classification, it is certainly very useful for Ferrari to have a driver like Carlos at its disposal.”