Sainz hopes Hamilton & Verstappen fight remains honest'

F1 News

7 December 2021 at 13:24
Last update 7 December 2021 at 14:52
  • GPblog.com

One more race on the calendar and a tie between two title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Five days from now, one of the most exciting Formula One seasons ever will come down to the wire and Carlos Sainz hopes for a fair fight in Abu Dhabi.

Fair fight between Hamilton and Verstappen

No driver escapes this week; they have all been asked for their opinion or prediction for the championship fight in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton and Verstappen both have 369.5 points. The Dutchman does top the championship having won one more race than his British rival.

At the brand new circuit in Jeddah, we witnessed a spectacular race with a lot of pushing and pulling by Verstappen and Hamilton. The drivers are literally doing everything they can to keep the other behind them. Carlos Sainz, who was Verstappen's at Toro Rosso in 2015 and 2016, expects a great fight in Abu Dhabi as well. "It's going to be very close", the Ferrari driver told Speedweek.com. "I hope that the fight from both sides remains clean and that the two are honest, so we can enjoy a spectacular end of the season."

Sainz in his place at Ferrari

This season Sainz switched from McLaren to Ferrari and is experiencing his best season so far with the Italian team. The Spaniard has finished on the podium three times and has never before scored so many points in one season (149.5). In the championship he is seventh, 8.5 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth place. He could therefore also climb up the championship rankings in Abu Dhabi.

Sainz himself is also satisfied with his performance, especially the past few races. "I think I've made progress since September and that's why I've been able to perform strongly in the last four or five race weekends. I was able to push the car to the limit in qualifying and in the race and score consistently. I'm proud of that and it gives me confidence for 2022."