Carlos Sainz has been between a rock and a hard place for the entirety of the 2022 F1 season. By his own admission, when the car’s been fast, he hasn’t. And when he’s been blistering, the car’s failed him. That being said, as the Scuderia is at the dawn of another year where they can seemingly mount a Championship bid, the Spaniard has only one thing on his mind. Sainz has full faith in the boys and girls back at Maranello. But he must do his bit, too. And for that, he’s relying on his past self to re-ignite pacy Carlos.

He was quoted by Motorsport.com, as saying, “My goal is to be consistent. If you’re at the front, the worst result is fifth or sixth, but with six or seven retirements that we’ve had, a series of points will go away that make you miss the world championship – although it’s also true that Verstappen and Red Bull have been stronger.”

“I believe that by learning those couple of lessons and going back to being the consistent Carlos of 2021, who I think will finish all the races, you can fight for the world championship.”

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Even though on occasion, he’s bowed down to the supremacy of his teammate Charles Leclerc, this isn’t the first time Sainz has openly challenged Verstappen and Leclerc for the 2023 title.

Carlos Sainz feels he’s right up there with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc

It’s no secret that Ferrari may have finally resolved their driver pairing issues. Carlos Sainz is as fast, if not faster, than his teammate Charles Leclerc. But then, there’s the matter of the 2x Champion Max Verstappen. But Sainz believes he has been blessed with the same racing genes as his two potential, title rivals.

Back in August, he was quoted by Marca, as saying, “But if you look at the last few races, I think I’m performing at a very similar level to the top guys, [Max] Verstappen and Leclerc, I feel I’m right there.”

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Is Sainz correct? If so, can he mount a successful Championship bid to become the first-ever Spanish Formula 1 champion after his idol, Fernando Alonso?