Sainz saw the Verstappen title coming in the first few races

Carlos Sainz saw his old Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen win his first world title this season. For the Spaniard this came as no surprise, he saw it coming, but according to the Ferrari driver there are more drivers on the grid who are potential world champions.

Verstappen had every chance of winning the title

Sainz was therefore not surprised to see Verstappen take the world title in 2021. "I saw it coming from the first few races," he told the Spanish newspaper AS. According to Sainz Verstappen had every chance of winning the title this season. Yet the Spaniard thinks there are seven or eight drivers on the current grid who, with the right car, could have done the same.

Despite this, he doesn't want to bring down Verstappen's performance, as Sainz also sees that what Verstappen did this season is special. "The level at which he and Hamilton competed was spectacular," he said.

Sainz hopes for season with many title contenders

His first season at Ferrari also marked the best season of his career for Sainz. Four times he was on the podium with eventually a fifth place in the championship. This made him the best driver behind the undisputed top teams Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. Next season he hopes to be in the battle for the title.

Sainz hopes there won't be one team with enormous dominance, like Mercedes from 2014. He hopes for a homogeneous season, with several contenders for the title, and that the drivers can make the difference. "This season there were four cars that could fight for the world championship and it was the drivers who did the rest."