28: Carlos Sainz: Living His Dream With F1's Greatest Team

Flat Chat with Codders by GP Racing

Why has Carlos Sainz thrived while the other high-profile drivers to have swapped teams this F1 season have struggled? And how has he managed to fit straight in to a Ferrari team which is traditionally difficult political territory, especially when under pressure?

These are just a few of the angles covered in a frank and exclusive interview with Sainz in this month’s GP Racing magazine.

An exclusive interview with Sainz is the centrepiece of this month’s GP Racing magazine. In the latest edition of the Flat Chat podcast, GP Racing editor Ben Anderson and columnist Mark Gallagher join host Stuart Codling to discuss Sainz’s remarkable journey, and what Sainz describes as his “process”. The interview reveals a driver who has never relied on raw talent alone, but who has worked and fought for every break he’s had.

There’s also been evidence of a cultural change within Ferrari, one which is enabling the team to rediscover its form after years of underachievement. Our panel reckons Sainz and Charles Leclerc add up to the strongest driver partnership in Formula 1: if Ferrari can get on par with Mercedes and Red Bull’s car technology and race operations, championships beckon…

This month’s GP Racing also includes exclusive insight into the technical woes Mercedes has been battling with this season, and the innovative technologies which have enabled Red Bull and Honda to unlock latent potential within their hybrid power unit. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says his outfit won’t “resign” the season, despite turning off the development taps and applying a final upgrade package at Silverstone. It’s managed to nose ahead in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships but, with Red Bull still bringing vans full of upgrades to each round, can its resistance last?

Also on the cover of GP Racing there’s an exclusive interview with Esteban Ocon, who has rewarded Alpine’s faith in him – that is, a freshly minted three-year contract – with a smoothly executed if circumstance-assisted victory in Hungary. What convinced him to throw over a chance to bid for the second seat at Mercedes to stay with Alpine – and what had he done to impress Alpine so much in the months before that sensational win?