F1 never before posed such a big challenge for Sainz: 'Lots of ups and downs'

Carlos Sainz believes he has never learned as much during a Formula 1 season as he did last year. He describes the 2022 season as very challenging and experienced many ups and downs with Ferrari.

A rock-solid start was followed by a challenging season for Ferrari. The team missed the mark on several occasions, especially strategically, but was also plagued by reliability problems. In addition, Sainz struggled with his F1-75 at the start of the season.

F1 2022 season big challenge for Sainz

"It’s been a very challenging start to the season with me immediately on the back foot and heading into challenges that I probably didn’t expect to have," the Spaniard admitted in a conversation with Formula1.com. "But I’m honestly very proud, the way that I recovered the season, the way that I managed to stay motivated, even with all the ups and downs that I had, with all the setbacks that we had."

He continued: "As a team, as an individual, with so many DNFs, we still managed to turn the season around." Sainz feels he is now driving again at the level he knows he is capable of. "I think in that sense, it’s been the year that I’ve learned the most since 2015 –that was my first year in Formula 1. Then I had tougher and easier years, but never such a challenging year as 2022," the Ferrari driver concludes.

Meanwhile, interest in a Madrid Grand Prix is growing. For Sainz, who was born in Madrid, that would mean his ultimate home race, but for now, the sport still has a contract with the Barcelona circuit. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also stressed that the chances of having two races in the same country - excluding the United States - are slim.