Carlos Sainz is riding a wave of confidence since the Formula 1 summer break. He looked the faster Ferrari driver over Charles Leclerc for much of the season. However, since the break, he has put together one solid weekend after another. He even delivered the first victory of the season by a driver not from Red Bull in Singapore. So what does he want from the 2024 Ferrari car?
Driving Fast, Soaring High
Carlos Sainz has had a phenomenal start to the second half of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He finished fifth at Zandvoort during a weekend when Ferrari struggled a lot. He put his Ferrari on pole at Monza and put on a defensive masterclass for the entire race. Against the faster Red Bull duo, he managed to salvage a podium.
Carlos Sainz then went a step further in Singapore as he put the car on pole and proceeded to take the win. This was the first win by a driver not driving a Red Bull in the 2023 Formula 1 season. Even in Japan, he finished behind his teammate but was on his pace throughout the race.
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Car needs to be Predictable
Carlos Sainz, like Charles Leclerc, has complained about the unpredictability of the Ferrari SF23. The performance doesn’t just vary from race to race. Sometimes, it varies between different tyre compounds in the same race.
He said, “But I am hoping that next year’s car has completely different characteristics than this one and it’s a bit of a new start. This year’s car has given us a few headaches here and there.”
Tyre Management Still an Issue
Carlos Sainz also pointed out a key aspect that the Ferrari has struggled with, especially Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari struggles over a race distance. A lot of it comes down to the car’s inability to maintain its tyres over a stint. He hopes they can resolve this and get on par with Red Bull.
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Carlos Sainz said, “It is true that the car when it comes to one lap, C5 tyres on certain tracks it can be very, very quick.”
“But it is true that many in the race even in Singapore, we were nothing special with tyre wear, our degradation still has its weaknesses that we need to address.”
“And I’m hoping that next year scar gives us that bigger window, bigger opportunity to also not only be quick in this set of circumstances but also be quick in the race.”
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