Carlos Sainz says he and fellow Formula One drivers are ‘upset’ to hear some criticise their “passion” and pins hopes on the recent fan survey to have a “very positive” impact on the future of the sport.

Over the past few seasons, there has been an increasing feeling of discrepancy in F1, with complaints ranging from the series’ dire financial situation to the new hybrid power units or the cars being too easy to drive.

“We don’t like what is happening,” said Sainz. “We don’t like that every week someone comes out and criticises Formula One. This is our passion, this is our job, and we don’t like people criticising our sport.

“We are upset about it and we are keen to change it, and also to show that F1 is still living, that it’s not easy to drive the car, that it’s not easy to do a race of 70 laps without doing mistakes.”

In order to change the current state of affairs, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) recently launched a wide-ranging survey to ask F1 fans about their opinions on the sport.

While some like 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve warns against relying too much on the supporters’ input, Toro Rosso rookie Sainz believes it can prove a useful resource to help improve the series.

“After the fan survey we did, we will have their opinions and then we’ll do our [GPDA] meeting and keep our opinions as well.

“We’ll put everything together and give a sort of a roadbook to say ‘this what the fans and drivers want to do.’ And I think this will be very positive for the sport.”

Click here for F1i's exclusive interview with Daniel Ricciardo

Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Bearman gives harsh verdict on Sao Paulo stand-in

Oliver Bearman got quite the early morning wake-up call on Friday in Sao Paulo when…

4 hours ago

Red Bull still 'looking at the facts' regarding Perez's performance

While his team mate Max Verstappen thrilled the fans with a run from 17th on…

6 hours ago

Sad Colapinto laments two crashes in one day in Sao Paulo

Williams suffered a bruising time on Sunday in Sao Paulo, with Alex Albon unable to…

7 hours ago

McLaren: No regrets over timing of Norris pit stop in Sao Paulo GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about their…

9 hours ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

10 hours ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

11 hours ago