F1: Sainz Jr. hits reverse after Barrichello criticism

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. has hit reverse gear after insisting he would not be happy “being a Barrichello”-like driver at Ferrari.

Although talented, experienced and accomplished, Brazilian Barrichello will arguably be best remembered as the clear number 2 driver to Ferrari’s top star Michael Schumacher.

Now, Spaniard Sainz is paired at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, who is widely regarded as the official Ferrari number 1 of today.

“Would I be happy being a Barrichello? No, clearly not,” Sainz said recently.

The 27-year-old said he was “very disappointed” with the way the Formula 1 media reacted to his comment.

“When I saw the headlines, I was very disappointed,” said Sainz.

“The question I was asked was how I would decide if I could choose between Barrichello and Schumacher. So, I wanted to say I would prefer the seven world titles, which makes a lot of sense to me.

“I realize that not everyone works like this, but it just shows once again that as soon as one publication takes from another publication who took from another publication, in the end there is only one headline left.

“Now the Brazilians are criticizing me for supposedly downplaying what Rubens achieved in his career,” he added.

“But I am in no position to criticize him at all. He won a lot of races, and I’ve won none. We’re good friends and I have a lot of respect for him.

“So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I read such stories.”

Sainz said he will also enforce a new rule about how he deals with the media from now on.

“As a matter of principle, I do not make any statements about fellow drivers, least of all Ferrari drivers who have won grands prix and world championships for Ferrari,” he said.