Founder and managing director of the Minardi F1 team Giancarlo Minardi has said Ferrari made a great choice to sign Carlos Sainz. Minardi was surprised Ferrari or other teams did not see Sainz's potential earlier. Sainz joins the Italian manufacturer from McLaren where he has finished sixth in the drivers' standings in the last two seasons. He joins Charles Leclerc at the team in one of the most exciting driver pairings on the grid. "I always liked Carlos. I've seen him for years, and I already liked what I saw in the box," said Minardi to Marca. "It is true that for a driver lap times are important, but so is how a driver behaves, how he talks, how he is with the team. "I followed Carlos and he has always given me positive signals and I think Ferrari made the right choice. I think he will carry all the experience he has gained, especially in the last year. "He's a fast driver, who's reliable, he's a driver who knows what he's saying when he speaks. Even if he hasn't won, he's always held his head up. It's been like this for years. He's a driver I would have signed up much earlier for Ferrari. I wish him good luck." Ferrari finished sixth on the constructors' championship last year, their worst season in F1 since 1980. But Minardi believes Ferrari will get back towards the top sooner rather than later. "It's clear that Ferrari will have to work hard because the 2020 season was the worst campaign for the Maranello team," Minardi added. "They won't have it easy in 2021, you can expect something better in 2022. "Anyway, Carlos has already proven his courage, he has found optimal performance in all the teams he has been in. He's always optimised his relationship with the car. I'm very confident in the work Carlos is going to do. I applaud this Sainz-Ferrari combination."
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