Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is relieved after finishing third in Bahrain that he finally has a car he can attack with again after many races
After Carlos Sainz finished third on the podium at the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain, the Ferrari driver speaks of a feeling of “relief” to finally have a Formula 1 car in which he can “attack” again
Because in 2023, the Spaniard often struggled with race pace in the predecessor to the SF-24. Red Bull was once again the measure of all things: Max Verstappen celebrated a dominant victory ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. But Sainz’s 25-second gap to Verstappen was half that of a year ago.
Back then, Ferrari’s problems with tire management and inconsistent handling became apparent for the first time. The SF-23’s poor race pace compared to its much more competitive qualifying performance continued throughout the season, especially on more demanding tracks.
Sainz: Attacked for the last time in Austria
The fact that he can finally be aggressive and attack with the new SF-24 is “a bit of a relief”, emphasizes Sainz. “Because the last race where I attacked was Austria, so we’re talking about 13, 14 races here.”
“In the rest of the races last year, you just had to come to terms, look in the rear-view mirror and control your pace. And there were very few opportunities to overtake people,” recalls the Ferrari driver.
“I love racing and I love overtaking, being aggressive and attacking. And with last year’s car, it was simply impossible to do that. As soon as we were driving in turbulent air, as soon as we overheated the tires, as soon as we pushed a bit too hard, it was game over.”
“I remember saying at the launch of the car that I wish we had a car this year that we could race and attack people without worrying too much about the tires. And that’s exactly what we got. “
Can Ferrari get any closer to Red Bull?
The Bahrain Grand Prix was an “offensive race” for him with a “really good race pace. “It all felt very good, so we were able to finish third. I really enjoyed it.” But Red Bull was still too strong
“You could see Red Bull’s advantage very, very clearly in Bahrain,” Sainz notes, analyzing: “It’s interesting how they can keep the soft C3 tire alive a little longer than the others because they overheat it a little less.”
“Maybe that’s why the car is not so competitive in qualifying and so good in the race on a track like Bahrain. We still need more examples, but I expect Red Bull to always be better in the race, just like they were last year,” says the Spaniard.
He and team-mate Charles Leclerc have often been on pole or on the front row in the last eight races. “But then Max pulled away massively in the race and Checo was always able to overtake us. “I hope it’s not so clear this year and we’ve made a good step forward.”
“I think we’re a bit too far away at the moment to be a real challenge for race wins if they bring everything together and do everything perfectly. But the base we have on the car this year is much better,” said Sainz.
“And if we build on that and put more and more downforce on the car, then I think we can get close to them. But we have to start doing that now, because if we don’t, they will start pushing and rushing away. “
