Carlos Sainz insists that himself and Ferrari were never at crossroads regarding the length of his contract as previously reported.
Sainz has had a dream run with Ferrari so far. He joined them in 2021, and immedeately took the world of F1 by storm. In his debut campaign, he bagged four podiums and finished ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, and took P5 in the Drivers’ Championship.
2022 too, saw the Spaniard make a decent start. Leclerc seems to be the main Championship protagonist so far this season, but Sainz too has two podium finishes out of the first three races.
Impressive @ScuderiaFerrari stats from Carlos 👏#F1 pic.twitter.com/kujD9O7KMS
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2022
His contract was due to run out at the end of this year, but whether he was going to stay or not, never came into question. The Scuderia’s management was delighted by his performances and off-track attitude, so his renewal was only considered a matter of time.
However, last week reports began to emerge that Ferrari didn’t want Sainz to pen a two-year deal. Instead, they apparently offered him only a year’s extension. Sainz in an interview yesterday, dismissed these speculations.
Everything in the contract had been signed and readied for some time, says Carlos Sainz
Ferrari announced Sainz’s renewal via Social Media on Thursday, a day before FP1 in Imola. It was a two-year deal, keeping him in Maranello until the end of the 2024 season.
When asked about potential problems while negotiating for the contract, the Madrid born driver insisted that there were none. He also revealed that the formalities were done and signed for some time, and all they were waiting for, was the perfect moment to announce his extension.
Very happy to renew two more years with @ScuderiaFerrari! Putting on this suit and representing this team is a great honour for me. Ferrari is fighting again at the front of the field and I’ll give it all to try and win both Championships! Vamos!💪🏼🏎
👉https://t.co/zvaaeoRets pic.twitter.com/oeOF6ZgnQD
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) April 21, 2022
“You can’t imagine how much I laughed,” he said. “When I read the rumors about the problems that supposedly arose with my renewal. Especially when I knew everything was ready. And we were just waiting to get to Imola so that we could announce it.”
The former McLaren driver also went on to say that he wishes to top this weekend off, by winning the Emilia Romagna GP. He’s third in the standings, behind teammate Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Also read: Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz promises to improve after a disastrous weekend in Australia
