SAINZ: I had to "copy a lot of stuff" from Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz admits that after leaving McLaren, he had to learn a lot from Charles Leclerc to get the most out of his Ferrari car.

Sainz has been widely praised for the extensive work he has done at the plant in pre-season testing to adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible. As a result, he made his fourth podium finish in Abu Dhabi and finished the season ahead of Leclerc and his former team-mate Lando Norris to finish fifth in the drivers' standings.

Sainz and Leclerc have developed a close relationship when they play side by side, with the Spaniard saying they learn from each other this year to improve. But in the early stages, Sainz admitted he had to "copy a lot" from Leclerc, like how he drove to get the most out of his car.

He said: "I've had a lot to learn from Charles since the moment I came to Bahrain for pre-season testing, he drove Ferrari in a special way, I had to adapt myself, I had to copy a lot of what I saw on the data. Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's possible to do this, and it's actually a bit shocking to do so quickly. But gradually, I adapted and tried to learn from him, successfully reaching a very good level. He's much better than me in some ways and as we head into winter break we'll be exchanging some information, learning from each other, and trying to be better drivers. ”

Sainz and Ferrari's contract expires at the end of 2022, and team manager Mattia Binotto says he is already considering extending the contract.