Carlos Sainz admitted he thought he “couldn’t drive any more” when Formula 1’s regulations changed at the start of 2022, meaning he had to change his style significantly.

Sainz was asked for one regret from his stint as a Ferrari driver, and he pinpointed that time as a struggle, before turning it into a point where he then “became much stronger” for it.

Carlos Sainz pinpoints one time of ‘regret’ at Ferrari as stint draws to a close

Sainz went on to win his first career Grand Prix in 2022 at the British Grand Prix, after taking five races to register his first in-team victory over Charles Leclerc that year.

While he still took nine podiums in 2022, Sainz would finish the year 62 points behind Leclerc come season’s end, and explained he had to significantly alter his driving style to adapt to the change of machinery within Formula 1.

When asked for one regret in his time at Ferrari, Sainz told Italian publication Corriere della Sera: “The beginning of 2022, I thought I couldn’t drive any more.

“I had to change my style completely and after that I became much stronger.”

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Sainz now makes the move to Williams after his Ferrari departure, and goes to the former World Champions with the express aim of bringing them back to the front of the field.

He has acknowledged previously that the team will take time to move forwards, but he is heading to his new team clear-minded in his aims to make the most of what is underneath him.

When asked if anything that comes after Ferrari will be a ‘step down’ compared to what has come before, Sainz said emphatically on the Beyond the Grid podcast: “No, 100% no.

“I’ll still be a Formula 1 driver, enjoying my life. There will be positives, there will be other negatives, but you need to remember that what I enjoy is putting on a helmet and driving a Formula 1 car, doesn’t matter the colour.

“I just enjoy driving. I enjoy the competition, I enjoy challenging myself, and especially, more than anything, I enjoy leaving a weekend thinking there is nothing else I could have done to make that car faster than what I did, and to drive as fast as I did, because I think I’ve managed to execute the maximum out of the package – and that’s what I will be trying to do weekend, in weekend out next year.”

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