MADRID, 9 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz acknowledged that his first time at the Ferrari factory was “a confidential visit” because the Madrid native “had to wait” for his contract with the McLaren team to expire before he could join the Italians.
“It was a confidential visit because I was supposed to wait for my contract with another team to expire,” said Carlos Sainz about his first visit to Maranello, Ferrari’s headquarters, in an interview with his teammate Charles Leclerc in the magazine. ‘GQ’.
The man from Madrid jokes about his arrival at the Italian team, one of the most successful of all time, where he has been running since 2021. “It turns out that I entered through the back door,” he said.
Sainz also spoke about the greater impact that Formula 1 has after the success of the documentary series ‘Drive to Survive’. “More people recognize you on the street. There are also more sponsors, more events, more photos, now there are more autographs, more risk of distraction,” he explained.
His teammate, Charles Leclerc, also explained what his first visit to the Ferrari factory was like. “I sat in the parking lot for two hours trying to imagine what it was like inside. I fantasized about a kind of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ with ‘Umpalumpas’ moving around,” he said.
Leclerc also related the other side of the competition and the danger involved in getting into a single-seater every weekend. “It’s very hard for my mother. I don’t know what to say to her anymore, apart from the fact that I love what I do,” he said.
“There’s nothing I can tell her to make her feel better. I’m also not going to tell her I’ll be careful because it wouldn’t be true. I always give my best, whatever it takes. She knows it’s a dangerous sport. It’s much safer now than before, but it is still a risky sport”, completed the Monegasque driver.