Ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix in Imola, it was announced that Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz would be continuing his stay with the team following a contract extension. The two-year extension keeps him at Ferrari through 2024, the same year that his teammate Charles Leclerc’s contract expires.
Sainz’s debut season with Ferrari last year saw him not only adapt quickly to a new car, something many others were struggling with, but he actually outperformed Leclerc, finishing two places ahead of him in the Drivers’ Championship. This year, while he hasn’t quite matched the dominant force Leclerc is proving to be, he’s still managing to keep pace with him, finishing right behind him every time for every race he’s finished. Ferrari is likely looking to hold onto that kind of consistency, hence their decision to extend Sainz.
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Speaking to that consistency, Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto said: “I have said several times that I believe we have the best driver pairing in Formula 1 and so, with every passing race, it seemed a completely natural step to extend Carlos’s contract, thus ensuring stability and continuity. In his time so far with the team, he has proved to have the talent we expected from him, delivering impressive results and making the most of all opportunities.”
On his part, Sainz said: “I am very happy to have renewed my contract with Scuderia Ferrari. I have always said that there is no better Formula 1 team to race for and after over a year with them, I can confirm that putting on this race suit and representing this team is unique and incomparable. My first season at Maranello was solid and constructive, with the whole group progressing together. The result of all that work has been clear to see so far season.”
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The one caveat to all of this is that it means Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion and F1 legend Michael Schumacher, won’t be getting a promotion to Ferrari any time soon like many fans were hoping. Instead, he’ll have to continue honing his skills and prove himself at Haas, something that’ll probably be beneficial in the long run now that he finally has a proper teammate to benchmark himself against – and, this year, a car that finally performs well.
Nevertheless, after a bleak 2020 and a promising 2021, Ferrari is looking to extend their dominant lead this year in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships at this weekend’s Italian GP, which will be the first of three races this season to feature a sprint race to set Sunday’s grid.