Ferrari, Sainz: “We all expected something more, but anything can still happen”

It’s not the start of the season that everyone expected, at least for what were the premises for this winter. After the first four grands prix of the 2023 F1 world championship, the Ferrari it turned out to be fragile, but the performance of Baku – with Leclerc third behind the Red Bulls – bodes well for the future. Also Carlos Sainz he is convinced of it. “The start was tough, with Red Bull clearly ahead of the others – says the Spaniard in an interview with the sports daily Brand –. We didn’t expect it, but it means they worked well. And from the Reds, even if the results weren’t the best, we certainly expect more.”

Sainz and the steps forward in Baku

“The point – admits Sainz – is not to be first or second in terms of points, but to be competitive. If you’re fighting to win or to take a pole position, but you can’t do it in the first three races, it’s not a problem if you c ‘it’s the performance. The problem is that we are now half a second behind Red Bull. With the different heights off the ground, Red Bull have taken a big step forward going into the races knowing they have a good chance of winning before even setting off. something that was not the case in the 2022 world championship. In Baku we saw an improvement by Ferrari and with 18 races still available and five Sprints, anything can still happen, for this reason the motivations are high”.

The penalty in Australia

The Ferrari driver also returns to the 5” penalty received in Australia under the safety car which caused him to slip out of the top ten. “I don’t want to fuel this controversy anymore – he underlines -, but I believe that there are places where certain situations are evaluated in the best possible way and others where superficial decisions are made, such as in Australia. There is not enough consistency and professionalism as there should be in this sport. That’s why I got angry in Australia, where I believe that the sanction was not the best choice. I think it was taken hastily. Those 5″ penalties with one lap to go and under the safety car regime, after two questionable red flags, it’s not the same thing as having a 5″ penalty on the first lap with still an hour and a half of the race to fix. Furthermore, I didn’t even have the opportunity to explain my maneuver in front of the marshals”.

Driveability problems

Even without the 12 points lost in Australia, Sainz remains in the wake of fourth place in the General, currently occupied by Lewis Hamilton. “My start to the season was better than in 2022 and my sensations are positive”. But the SF-23’s problems didn’t end there. “It’s a complicated car that gave me big headaches at the start. Hence the need to make changes to the set-up. I hope the improvements will allow us to fight for the top positions, starting on Sunday”. And if asked if the problems relate to reliability or driveability, Carlos has no doubts: “More in driveability than reliability and we’re trying to improve them. A very aggressive plan has been applied to Maranello to try to turn the tide of the season. None of us are happy with this start, but there is an attitude and a desire to improve that I haven’t seen in a long time. And I like to see it. I know they are trying hard to improve the performance of the car as soon as possible “.

Improve race pace

“I didn’t have my best weekend in Baku (he finished both the sprint race and the race in 5th place, ed), but Charles’ performance gave the team great vibes and great motivation to everyone because we’re going from Australia in the right direction. I had great pace there and Charles had it in Baku. But we need to improve in race pace, our weak point. Starting from Miami. I think my second win could be close, but for now we have need a ‘help’ from Red Bull. Which was not needed in 2022. I hope that in the shortest possible time we will be able to beat them in the race, because there are still many grands prix and many types of circuits. I don’t know when, but I know that will be possible”.

The relationship with Leclerc and Alonso

The arrival of Vasseur seemed to penalize Sainz in favor of Leclerc, but at the moment there does not seem to be this danger. “In the end, the track always speaks. I can say that I have an excellent relationship with Vasseur and for Charles and I, the priority is to bring Ferrari back to victory. When two drivers have this mentality in their heads, the rivalry between the two remains in the background”. Closing on the relationship with Fernando Alonso. “There’s no problem between us, despite what the newspapers write. If I were a simple Spanish fan, I’d root for him. He’s someone who has won two World Cups and who at his age is achieving incredible results. But I’m a rider – he concludes -, we are rivals and my goal is to do everything to win”.