This Friday it was Ferrari’s official team presentation ahead of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Carlos Sainz, La Scuderia’s latest acquisition, managed to capture the spotlight at the online event. The Spaniard has shared the stage with his new teammate Charles Leclerc and with team principal, Mattia Binotto. 

Sainz explained his goals for this new stage in his career in which he has reached a point of great maturity as a professional F1 driver. Exuding confidence, he has spoken about his five-year plan to conquer the crown with Ferrari, as, in his own words, he is in “the right place to achieve it”. 

He has insisted on clarifying, however, that the current priority is to work as a team in order to bring the red team, sixth in the Constructors’ World Cup in 2020, back up to the lead. 

In this sense, he is aware that the Tifosi are fully expecting a significant performance leap in the red cars, and he has said to be 100% committed to working hard and fully dedicate himself to achieve it. 

Hard work and dedication are precisely the Spaniard’s two greatest virtues and the ones that made him shine during his McLaren stage (2019-2020) and opened the doors of the Prancing Horse to him. 

As for his individual expectations for this first season, he has acknowledged that it won’t be easy and recognised that he will need a period of time to adapt to the new car and equipment. 

The event, which consisted of a short film featuring the team’s stars, began with an intervention by new director, Mattia Binotto. Surrounded by red cars and tokens of Ferrari’s legendary history, the Swiss boss recalled the fiasco that was last season and expressed his wishes for a better result this year. 

Afterwards, the head of Maranello gave way to his drivers who introduced themselves to the fans. In an amusing format, both drivers questioned each other on various subjects. During one of those questions, the Monegasque mischievously asked the Spaniard: “Do you honestly think you can beat me?”.

With his usual humility and common sense, Sainz replied: “This year it will be very difficult for me to beat you because I must get to know the car first”. Before moving on to another subject, however, he added: “But we will see”. 

On the same subject, Sainz wanted to make clear that his individual goals will always be underneath the global objectives of the team: 

“There is something even more important for us and that is to bring Ferrari back to the top together. If there is a year in which we have to work together, this is the one, and then, later on, there might come a season when we can worry more about each other”. 

Continuing with that same line of argument, he reiterated that all efforts must now be focused on restoring the lost shine to the team: 

“This is an important moment and we will fight to bring Ferrari back to the highest level and that requires a lot of teamwork. When the results start coming in it will be great for the team and we will be even more motivated for the future. The whole team works day and night to help us reach the top” – Said the Spaniard-. 

On a personal level, Sainz acknowledged that being part of the most successful team of all times gives him a great chance of success. He then confessed that his objective is to proclaim himself Formula 1 world champion with Ferrari in a maximum period of five years. That is how much he trusts his chances … and those of his team:

“Reaching this goal at the age of 26 is something that I have always fought for. My goal is to become a world champion in 5 years’ time and I think Ferrari is the best team to do so. I think I am in the right place and at the right time” – Confessed Carlos. 

Images of Ferrari: Scuderia Ferrari.