Interview with Carlos Sainz Jr

25.11.14
Interview with Carlos Sainz Jr, the youngest man to win the drivers’ crown in Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion.

Interview with  Carlos Sainz Jr

In the time since he last tested a Formula One car, Spain’s next F1 hopeful Carlos Sainz Jr has claimed the mantle of 2014 Formula Renault  3.5 Series champion.

The youngest man to win the drivers’ crown in that championship, Sainz Jr was invited by Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Sport Technologies to test the RB10 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit as a celebration of his victory.

And which was the greater celebration of that championship? His private celebration of the title, or the post-season F1 test?

“It’s difficult to judge,” Sainz Jr conceded. “There are more emotions going on when you win a title like [Formula Renault] 3.5, but I’ve probably enjoyed the whole day here more. The RB10 is one of the best cars out there on track, so to be able to drive it - to do more than 100 laps in it - is simply amazing.”

The young Spanish racer was uniquely positioned to comment on the changes in downforce that resulted from the 2014 regulation changes - having driven the RB9 during the Silverstone test in 2013, Sainz Jr had not been behind the wheel of a Red Bull Formula One car since, until he took to the track in Abu Dhabi.

With the memory of that experience, how did the RB10 feel at the end of its development curve, when the team had reclaimed as much of that lost downforce as possible over the course of the 2014 season?

“Obviously there was a big change [between the RB9 and RB10]; I could feel it particularly on power, on the exit of corners, in the torque,” Sainz Jr told the FIA.com website. “I was surprised by it, as already last year’s car had a good amount of power. Apart from that, everyone was speaking a lot about the car not having much downforce, but I thought the car felt great, actually. For me the car feels really, really good. It was a pleasure to drive it.”

Having spent more than a year away from an F1 cockpit - a year in which everything from the power delivery to the braking has changed - how does a driver adjust to unfamiliar machinery?

“I took my time [at the start of the day] to build up my confidence,” he explained. “Obviously there was a long day ahead, so I took my time and little by little I upped the pace. I had no issues at all, I didn’t make any big mistakes, and I’m happy with that.”