Sainz says long-standing partner gave Ferrari an 'advantage'

Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari's oldest technical partner gave the Scuderia an advantage this season in one crucial area.

Ferrari was in the hunt for the world title this year until the second half of the season when Red Bull and Max Verstappen irresistibly pulled away from their main rival.

But the Scuderia's performance in 2022 – the first of F1's new regulations – was a significant improvement compared to last year.

Sainz, who won his maiden Grand Prix at Silverstone last summer, believes that Ferrari's results were greatly helped by the advancements in technology of long-standing partner Shell when it came to elaborating this year's mandatory 10% biofuel.

"This season it was mandatory to race with 10% bio ethanol fuel," Sainz explained, quoted by RacingNews.365.

"Looking at this season, I think it gave us an advantage that Shell is so strong with creating the fuel with 10% bio ethanol.

"They have experience with it and have worked hard in recent years to create the highest quality version.

"Because they have created an excellent product, as a driver the difference from last year was not noticeable.

"This is because they have worked hard in the last few years on the project with 10% bio ethanol and they will do the same with creating the 100% sustainable fuel in 2026."

Quite remarkably, Shell, which is working with Ferrari to help reach F1's net zero carbon targe by 2030, has been associated with the Italian manufacturer since 1929, the year the Scuderia was founded by Enzo Ferrari.

And the partnership has bred truly remarkable innovations, not to mention ten F1 Constructors' championship and 12 Drovers' world titles.

"It is interesting to see how long Ferrari and Shell have been working together," added Sainz.

"When you come to work at Ferrari you immediately see how strong the cooperation is, both parties know each other through and through and therefore the cooperation between the parties is excellent.

"During the season, as a driver, you often come here to Shell's track lab and you see how hard they are working to make everything perfect for us.

"They are constantly working to improve performance and keep an eye on reliability."

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