Sainz lashes out: 'Felt like people didn't want me there'

Carlos Sainz is not happy with his performance in 2022. Although the Spaniard says he did develop well, he expected more from himself.

In 2022, Ferrari finally had a car capable of racing from the front again, but after a strong start to the season, Red Bull Racing took control. Ferrari won four races this season, including two in the first three races. However, Red Bull already stands on 14 wins and is close to the world title.

Pressure on Sainz

For Sainz, this season has also been tough. Whereas he was very close to Charles Leclerc in 2021, he certainly did not come close in the early part of 2022. Just when the F1-75 was competitive, the Spaniard was prone to too many mistakes and was also often simply not fast enough. Sainz himself also balks that he was not fast enough, but argues, speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, that he will get faster with experience over the years.

Once Sainz became faster and managed his first win in England, many believe the attention within Ferrari had to be focused more on Leclerc because he was better off in the standings. ''In a way that was frustrating. When I was competing at the front it seemed like people didn't want me there,'' Sainz said of the press.

Ferrari also received a lot of criticism, as the title was also given away in 2022 due to big mistakes. Sainz acknowledges that too, but he has every confidence in his team where he is still under contract until 2024. ''The mistakes cost us the world title, but I haven't seen the team make the same mistake twice. We learn from our mistakes,'' Sainz concluded.