Sainz moved from McLaren to Ferrari for the 2021 season and currently leads his teammate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings, scoring three podiums and 112.5 points so far this season.
Sainz qualified second for the Russian Grand Prix last weekend, led the first part of the race and finally finished third after switching to the intermediates in time during a late rain shower.
While he has scored more points and podium places than Leclerc so far this season, Sainz also suffered falls at a handful of events, including qualifying at the Hungaroring and training sessions in Zandvoort and Monza.
Sainz said the accidents showed he was still uncomfortable with Ferrari’s SF21 car, which led him to focus his approach on building confidence over the weekend in Russia.
“You probably saw from the outside that I am not 100 percent home with the car,” said Sainz.
“I don’t want to bring the falls back, but I’ve never fell in my career.
“I’m a driver who never bumps it into the wall, but for some reason there have been a couple of crashes that show that I still don’t understand the car 100%.
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“[In Sochi] I also made a conscious effort to go through the free practice step by step into qualification and to be really fast when I have to be fast instead of being fast right away in FP1.
“It worked well, it gave me a lot of confidence, I was quick all weekend and felt at home.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd place, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st place, the delegate of the Mercedes trophy and Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, 3rd place, on the podium
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Sainz always said he would treat 2021 as a year to settle in with Ferrari before his second season at Maranello.
But he drew courage from the fact that Ferrari had seized chances for podium places when they presented themselves after finishing second in Monaco and third in Hungary.
“We used our chances to achieve these three podiums,” said Sainz.
“We’re just maximizing the opportunities we get.
“That is a good signal, a signal that the team is performing well under pressure and at the right moments.
“We get the results whenever the opportunity presents itself.”
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