Carlos Sainz: “A car like this can change your life and your career”
One of the pilots who praised the exceptional year of Kimi Antonellibefore the Italian faces his first ‘match ball’ of the course in austinwas Carlos Sainzpresent in the first part of the official press conference of the FIA prior to This weekend’s Austin GP.
The Madrid native highlighted the need for any driver to find a winning car and the Italian’s ability to mentally come back after a difficult first rookie year to know how to take advantage and destroy the dominating car of this 2026.
“For me, more than anything it is the contrast compared to last year. How much it cost him in his rookie season and how great his season has been this year, how he has turned it around,” commented the Spaniard.
It is the contrast compared to last year. How much it cost him in his rookie season and how great his season has been this year, how he has turned it around
“F1 is a lot about being in the right place at the right time and having a car that best suits your driving style, how you approach a corner, how you brake, how you accelerate… Having that car is something that can change your life, your career.and he has maximized it, and I think he has been squeezing that Mercedes to the limit,” said the Williams driver.
F1 is a lot about being in the right place at the right time and having a car that best suits your driving style. And Kimi has maximized it
“Congratulations to him. To come back from a rookie year like this and do what he is doing is impressive and says a lot about him.”Sainz said that he aspires to Q2 in Austin, but denies having a chance of points unless his rivals fail.
Austin, one of his favorite tracks
“It is without a doubt one of my favorite tracks, or at least where I have always felt comfortable driving. Of all the new generation circuits, the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is by far the most exciting that has been designed, and it is also the most different. I think that there are many circuits that could learn from COTA because of the design it has to be able to overtake, the ups and downs, that feeling of being on a roller coaster… we like old school tracks, and although this one is not, it feels like Yes, it was. And that’s why I think a lot of drivers like it, we enjoy it and there are also good races. This year I don’t expect a podium but I’m going to try to enjoy this circuit.”
It does not have a points car, but it does have a chance to aspire to Q2
“Is the car a points car here? No, it’s not. It’s a good enough car to get to Q2 with a good enough lap in Q1. And if someone makes mistakes maybe we’ll get a point like in Baku. But in reality, our position is not to be in the points. The lighter chassis (premiered in Baku) is working and has allowed us to get to Q2 three consecutive times from Baku, but as soon as the race settles and everyone finds their rhythm, I wouldn’t say our car is better than the first 14 or 15”.
It is not a points car. It’s a good enough car to get to Q2 with a good enough lap in Q1. And if someone makes mistakes maybe we’ll get a point like in Baku
Changes for 2027
“We are making a lot of changes within the team and we are investing in these last races of the season to pose the challenge of changing things in the middle of the season that you would normally wait for the break to change. The team has taken a direction. The bosses have chosen it this way despite being in the middle of the season: you have to change everything that needs to be changed. And it is quite uncomfortable. Because that leaves you time in your pocket in a weekend. But it is done with the intention and objective of eliminating things with a car with which “We know that we really can’t score points, so we do it in order to be able to get off to a better start for next year.”
