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

Published: Aug. 7, 2021, 12:22 a.m.

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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?\\xa0
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These are just a few of the angles covered in a frank and exclusive interview with Sainz in this month\\u2019s GP Racing magazine.\\xa0
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An exclusive interview with Sainz is the centrepiece of this month\\u2019s 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\\u2019s remarkable journey, and what Sainz describes as his \\u201cprocess\\u201d. The interview reveals a driver who has never relied on raw talent alone, but who has worked and fought for every break he\\u2019s had.
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There\\u2019s 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\\u2019s car technology and race operations, championships beckon\\u2026
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This month\\u2019s 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\\u2019t \\u201cresign\\u201d the season, despite turning off the development taps and applying a final upgrade package at Silverstone. It\\u2019s managed to nose ahead in the drivers\\u2019 and constructors\\u2019 championships but, with Red Bull still bringing vans full of upgrades to each round, can its resistance last?
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Also on the cover of GP Racing there\\u2019s an exclusive interview with Esteban Ocon, who has rewarded Alpine\\u2019s faith in him \\u2013 that is, a freshly minted three-year contract \\u2013 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 \\u2013 and what had he done to impress Alpine so much in the months before that sensational win?
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