Did Ferrari make a car for Leclerc or Sainz? "That's not true"

Carlos Sainz is uncomfortable with suggestions that Ferrari wilfully developed a car in 2022 that suited one driver better than another. The Spaniard is looking at himself and hopes to adapt a little faster in 2023.

Sainz denies Ferrari preference

Sainz had a difficult season in 2022, but clawed his way back and was in good form by the end of the year. The Ferrari driver denies there is any correlation between his better performance during the season and the team's poorer performance as a whole. By Motorsport-total.com Sainz says: "I feel there was a trend of people saying the car was developed my way or the other way. But that is not true."

Sainz continued: "I will tell you honestly that an F1 car does not move in the driver's direction. An F1 car is developed to go faster. My job as a driver is to look for places that are weak. I then give feedback just like Charles [Leclerc]." Still, the Spaniard does admit that last year's Ferrari demanded a specific driving style, which initially did not suit him very well.

Sainz needs to adapt faster

Sainz recognises what he needs to do better in 2023 to make things difficult for his teammate: "I am optimistic and hope that this year things will be a bit faster. During the difficult moments, I managed to adapt and made it - a bit slower than I would have liked, but I adapted. I am sure I can go on again and have a good start."