Sainz expecting to wait until 2022 for winning Ferrari

Carlos Sainz says it is only "common sense" to conclude that he will not be world champion or even win races after switching to Ferrari next year.

The Spaniard, who currently drives for McLaren, was asked about Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s recent admission that a red car is unlikely to win a race until at least 2022.

Defending Elkann’s prediction, Sainz told El Mundo Deportivo: "You don’t have to be a genius to see that Formula 1 is being dominated by Mercedes.

"Right now it’s difficult for everyone, whether it’s Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault or Racing Point to fight for the world championship with the dominance of this year. And in 2021, the cars will be practically the same.

"It’s just common sense that until 2022 it will be very difficult to beat Mercedes," said the Spaniard.

Meanwhile, Sainz was critical of today’s television coverage of Formula 1, arguing that while the cars have never been faster, they do not look spectacular enough on screen.

"I have experienced the evolution of the cars from 2015 to 2020 and it’s almost ten seconds. They are so much faster and as a driver you can feel the G-force and the pounding on your brain and your body," he said.

"It bothers me that it doesn’t seem like that on TV. I can assure you there is nothing like this year’s cars. We are 3 or 4 seconds faster than the golden era of 2004 and 2005, but you see it on TV and it doesn’t seem like that.

"The Mercedes is beautiful, a work of art and the fastest car in F1 history but it’s not appreciated enough because on TV it doesn’t seem like we are going so fast," Sainz said.