Carlos Sainz wants F1 rules to be designed such that teams' 'main motivation is to finish ahead'

Carlos Sainz hopes that F1 rules are designed such that teams will not sacrifice constructors' standings positions just to get more wind tunnel time for the next year. The Spaniard believes finishing ahead of your competition should always be any team's number one priority.

Teams are allotted wind tunnel testing time according to their finishing position in the constructors' standings at the end of the year. The team that wins the constructors' title gets the least amount of wind tunnel testing time, with the team coming last getting the most number of hours in the tunnel.

Consequently, some have suggested that certain teams could sabotage their own races at the end of a losing season just to gain more wind tunnel time for the next year, putting the integrity of their sporting spirit at stake. Carlos Sainz believes finishing ahead of your competition should always be any team's number one priority.

The Spaniard said that he hopes F1 has designed the rules such that no team exploits them and ruins sporting integrity. He said:

"I think these kinds of things, I think they should prioritise the position in the championship, no? If not, we wouldn't be fighting for positions in the championship. I think the competition is the number one priority and finishing ahead of your competition should always be more satisfying than finishing one position behind and then not getting the wind tunnel or the money. So I hope the rules are also designed (so) that your main motivation is to finish ahead. If not, I wouldn't understand it."

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Carlos Sainz claims he won't be proud of himself until he beats Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz revealed that he does not feel proud of himself this year in Ferrari because he is falling behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, in the statistics. Despite being a career highlight for the Spaniard, the 2022 season hasn't gone his way in terms of mounting his first championship challenge.

Speaking to the BBC, he said:

"I am not proud, because I am not ahead (of Charles Leclerc). The day I am ahead in the statistics is the day I will be proud. Until then, I will keep working at it, keep finding lap time in myself."

The Ferrari driver struggled to get to grips with this year's challenger, seemingly being unable to suit his driving style to suit that of the 2022 aerodynamic regulations. The 28-year-old was consistently slower than his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was able to extract more performance from his car. In recent races, however, the two drivers have been roughly on par and it is clear that Sainz is getting to grips with the new driving philosophy.

Carlos Sainz claims he will try his hardest to successfully dethrone Max Verstappen and Red Bull in 2023 as he will hopefully be comfortable in his F1-75 from the very start of the season.