Carlos Sainz revealed a behind-the-scenes story of his arrival at Ferrari that surprised him. The Spanish driver stated that the Italian team presented a detailed analysis of his previous six years in Formula 1.
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The report was shown to Sainz by Mattia Binotto, then Ferrari’s team principal, and Laurent Mekies, who held the position of sporting director. Currently, Mekies is head of Red Bull Racing, while Sainz races for Williams.
Before joining Ferrari for the 2021 season, Sainz had been with Renault, Toro Rosso (now Red Bull Racing), and McLaren, where he partnered with Lando Norris. According to the Spaniard, he did not imagine that the Italian team had gathered such detailed information about his performance against teammates.
“I was shocked by how much they knew,” Sainz said in an interview with the press. The study covered different track conditions and specific situations, as well as results in qualifying sessions.
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Ferrari also used the data to point out areas where they believed Sainz could improve. The driver acknowledged that some of these conclusions matched aspects he had already identified as points to improve, but he highlighted the depth of the evaluation made before his signing.
Sainz was among the candidates for the seat left by Sebastian Vettel for 2021 and was ultimately chosen by Ferrari amid competition from other names, including Daniel Ricciardo. For the Spaniard, the analysis played an important role in the team’s decision: “They analyzed me, and that’s why they chose me,” he added.
After four seasons at Ferrari, Sainz assessed that the experience also changed his perception of the ability of top teams to study their drivers. He admitted he was not prepared to discover the level of detail achieved by a structure with tools and resources to carry out this type of work.
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