Carlos Sainz says he remains confident he has the skills to win in Formula 1.

Of the top two teams in Formula 1, Red Bull and Ferrari, Spaniard Sainz is the only driver yet to record either a single pole position or race win.

He is also 33 points behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

"It's no secret that he's in tune with the car and he's doing a better season than I am," Sainz told AS newspaper. "He deserves to be where he is because he's doing a spectacular job.

"I, on the other hand, have had two DNFs - one my fault, one not my fault - but it's relatively fair to be where I am and where he is.

"Even so, with 16 races to go, anything can still happen," said the 27-year-old.

Sainz says he is also buoyed by the fact that, with a little more luck, he would have beaten Red Bull's Sergio Perez to the chequered flag at Monaco.

"It gives me more confidence to think that with a small detail in the out-lap, I could be here talking about my first victory in Formula 1," he said at Baku.

"In the end, yes, Charles is a reference and probably the best reference that I can have this year, because it is the one that is making the difference more than anyone else," Sainz continued.

"But what gives me the most confidence is knowing that I could be here having won my first race. I will continue to look for that."

Therefore, he says it's not a huge weight on his shoulder to know that, of the top four drivers in the 2022 world championship, he is the only one who hasn't won a grand prix.

"I have won races in the past," Sainz insisted. "I know how to win, I know how to do it.

"In Formula 1 you need so many details, so many things that have to go in your favour, that it is so difficult to win and that is why so few people do it.

"The day it comes, it will come. And if not, I'll keep trying."
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