Sainz doesn't get it: Formula 1 is "the only sport you can't train"

The change came in as the teams and drivers geared up for a record-breaking 22 event year. That is now looking in doubt because the Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed. The change takes some getting used to and while many like the alteration, Carlos Sainz remains unsure. 

Drivers are dissatisfied. 

In the off-season of most sports, you can continue playing. Footballers can kick a ball anytime they want, and tennis players can hit some shots on the court at any time. However, Formula 1 drivers can only go out on track in their cars during dedicated times. Sainz wants more time to prepare for the Australian Grand Prix. 

“As racing drivers what you don’t do on track you compensate every simulator. I honestly prefer to be on track than on the simulator. It’s weird [that] it’s going to be only three total days for a driver before the Formula 1 season starts. It’s weird and it’s probably the only sport in the world where you cannot train the sport you do so you go into race one with a lot of things to learn still," he told RaceFans.net. 

Valtteri Bottas understands the reduction, but the Mercedes doesn't want the number of days to drop any further. After all, the drivers are trying to squeeze in as much track time as possible into the six days. 

"I think eight days was a pretty good amount. You could get a lot done and if you had some issues you could still kind of recover. With just being six days it limits your opportunities to try many different things and learning if you have a lot of issues. I think just four days would be a very short time. But obviously, nowadays the cars are running better and better straight out from the box thanks to all the simulation tools and improvement in the technology. I think there’s a good amount for now, maybe in the future, we could do less," Bottas added.