Sainz and Leclerc excited to get going with F1-75

©Ferrari

Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have spoken about their excitement over the prospects for the 2022 season after the team unveiled the new F1-75 car.

New rules and regulations come into effect this season meaning that the car has some major new features, as well as an eye-catching black-and-red livery nodding to the team's 75th anniversary.

Team principal Mattia Binotto told media attending the launch event that “personally, I'm excited about it" and pointed out the innovation surrounding the new loo front wing and nose. His optimism was echoed by his drivers.

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"Yes, I'm more than ready for this season," said Sainz. who joined Ferrari from McLaren at the start of the 2021 season and went on to finish ahead of Leclerc in the final points standings.

"2021 was a great year for me because I managed to learn how the team works on the inside, to adapt to a new environment," he said. "But also mainly to learn about the Ferrari brand, and how everything works from here.

"It was a great experience for me," he added. "Now it's time to take the team to a different level, take it to a different step, and as drivers and the team together we want more things and more success in 2022. Let's go and get it!"

As for the new car's appearance, Sainz said that it was "out of the box" and added: "It's what you want to see when you see a new car."

©Ferrari

Leclerc was also rather taken by the new car's visual panache, but was more concerned by how it would perform on the track when pre-season testing gets underway next week in Barcelona.

"I really, really like it. I think I'll love it even more if it's fast on track!" said the Monegasque. "But I absolutely love the look.

"It's a bit of a darker red, it looks a bit more aggressive, but for a car like this I think it fits perfectly."

Leclerc added that the new approach to the bodywork of the war was impressive.

"I think this is my favourite part of the car itself. You can really see how much work there has been [with] this bodywork. It looks impressive. It looks extreme, and I like it."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.