Carlos Sainz — 2022 season

Carlos Sainz's 2022 Formula 1 season for Scuderia Ferrari was a year of adaptation and breakthrough, ultimately yielding his first Grand Prix victory but also exposing a period of early season inconsistency. Entering the new ground-effect era, which brought significant changes to car design with 18-inch wheels and simplified aerodynamics, Sainz found himself navigating a car that initially proved challenging to extract consistent performance from, particularly compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Formula 1 — official site details how these new technical regulations introduced tunnel-floor ground-effect, a fundamental shift from previous aero philosophies, which required drivers to adjust their approach significantly.

Going in

The 2022 season represented a fresh start for all teams with the new technical regulations, offering an opportunity for a shake-up in the pecking order. Ferrari, having shown flashes of pace in 2021, was widely anticipated to be a strong contender, and their early season form validated this. Sainz, in his second year with the Maranello outfit, aimed to build on a solid first season where he outscored Leclerc. However, the F1-75, while fast, proved to be a demanding machine, particularly in the initial races. This era of F1, as seen with drivers like Fernando Alonso — 2023 season adapting to new machinery, often requires a nuanced understanding of car characteristics.

How it played out

Sainz began the season with two strong podium finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, securing second and third respectively. However, the subsequent races in Australia and Emilia Romagna saw a downturn, with a spun-off DNF at Melbourne and a collision DNF at Imola. This early period of the season was marked by a struggle to find the rhythm with the F1-75, leading to a series of incidents and missed points. As the season progressed, Sainz's performance began to stabilize. He secured another second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix and a strong second at the Canadian Grand Prix, demonstrating improved confidence and pace. The mid-season also saw further reliability issues, with a hydraulics failure in Azerbaijan and a power unit DNF in Austria, contributing to his total of 6 DNFs for the year. Historical F1 data, such as that found via Jolpica/Ergast — 2026 season data, provides a granular look at performance fluctuations across the grid.