Carlos Sainz Hoping Norris, Leclerc & Russell Can Commit to Clean Racing Over Optimistic 2022 F1 Season

Carlos Sainz had an exceptional first season with the Ferrari team and he has clearly stepped up his game in the red car. The Spaniard finished 5th in the drivers’ standings ahead of Lando Norris and teammate Charles Leclerc. The F1 community lauded Sainz for his consistency this season. He managed to get 19 points finishes and no retirements in the entire season.

The midfield battle between Ferrari and Mclaren brought the best out of Sainz for the most part of the season. His clinical battles with Norris, Ricciardo, and Leclerc were a delight to watch. The Spaniard recently reflected on his first year with the Red team. While he appreciated the clinical on-track fights this season, the Ferrari star wants to see more of these designated battles in the future as well.

Carlos Sainz hopes to keep it clean on the track

In a recent interview reported by Motorsport, Sainz said that he enjoys the battles with rising stars like Norris and Leclerc.

“I just enjoy battling guys like Charles, Lando, and George when he will get the Mercedes next year. It’s a generation of drivers that, even if I am not exactly the age that they are, I just enjoy fighting with them.”

“I think they are on a very good level, but in a way, they also manage to keep it clean on track, and put together good battles,” said the Ferrari man.

While the midfield battle this season was fair, he hopes it will remain this way when stakes are higher. He is also sanguine that the young guns will compete more regularly for victories in the future.

“This year, if you look at the midfield and the way we’ve managed to behave ourselves and race, it’s been a really positive. Let’s see next year if we are all fighting for higher stakes if we can keep it that way because personally, I enjoy it a lot. But I feel capable of fighting anyone, for sure,” added Sainz.

Lando Norris is up for the battle

The young Brit Lando Norris is also looking forward to this midfield battle in 2022. Norris had a brilliant first half in this season but lost the charm somewhere during the second half.

“Personally, I feel like I did everything I could to give us as a team the best opportunity to go against Ferrari. Although it still didn’t work out, I think how I started the season really put us in that position,” said Norris as reported by Motorsport.

As we are heading into the new season, there can be a shift in the power dynamics on the grid. Let’s see how the next season unfolds. Share your views on the same.

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