Ferrari says it plans to sit down with Carlos Sainz over the winter to discuss his future following an impressive debut Formula 1 season with the Italian team.
Sainz joined Ferrari on a two-year deal as a replacement for Aston Martin bound Sebastian Vettel, and put together his best-ever F1 campaign since graduating to the series in 2015.
The Spaniard scored four podiums en route to fifth place in the drivers’ standings, outscoring highly-rated team-mate Charles Leclerc, and helped Ferrari see off former employers McLaren to bag third in the constructors’ championship.
Although Sainz still has a year left on his Ferrari contract, team boss Mattia Binotto was asked after the season finale in Abu Dhabi if now was the best time have Sainz locked in for the long term.
“I think Carlos did a great year,” Binotto said, as quoted by Motorsport.com:.
“When we signed a year ago, we said that winter time, so this is winter time, [is] the right moment to sit down and have a review of the season. That is something we will certainly do during the winter.
“There will be certainly a review altogether, and of the season itself, and we’ll start discussing what can be our future.”
Ferrari enjoyed a return to form in 2021 following a disastrous 2020 season, when a sixth place finish in the standings was its lowest placing for four decades due to an underpowered engine.
Aside from the team’s clear progress on track, Binotto praised Sainz’s performances in his first year at the Scuderia, believing he and Leclerc proved Ferrari’s driver pairing is the best on the F1 grid.
“When we signed with Carlos, the objective was to have two good drivers that were good racers, consistent and capable of scoring points for the team,” Binotto said.
“I think it’s what we got this season. So I’m very proud of both of them. I think as I often said, we’ve got the best line-up in Formula 1, and I’m pretty happy with what Carlos did this season.
“Being his very first season with Ferrari, it was not straightforward and obvious. We signed with him because we said he is a good racer, consistent, always scoring good points. But I think he’s as well a good learner.
“During the season, he has improved, and I think that the end of the season is his best part of the entire season.”
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