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Carlos Sainz once again faced a difficult race in Singapore, finishing in seventh place after starting from tenth. Although the race was tough from the start, Ferrari's smart strategy, which included an early tire change, allowed him to gain several key positions. In the end, the Spaniard scored points but felt a deep regret, clearly seeing the potential in his racing pace.
After the race, Carlos acknowledged what all Formula 1 fans have observed throughout the season: that qualifying performance is the main hurdle for Ferrari this year. Sainz highlighted the qualifying issue, stating that Ferrari has a very narrow "operating window" for tires on a fast lap: "This year, with this car, we have a very small window for the tires to work properly."
"I made a mistake in qualifying, but we saw that with Charles too. The tire operating window is very small, and we've often suffered because of it," the Spaniard admitted, emphasizing: "The race pace has never been a problem, but the quick lap in qualifying is because we've often struggled to achieve optimal times this year."
He hopes the upcoming race in Austin will provide better insight into Ferrari's latest upgrades: "Austin will definitely be an important track to see how well the upgrades work. It's a normal circuit, with very fast corners," Carlos explained.
He also stressed that the last three races produced quite fewer points than expected, believing that Ferrari will have a chance to bounce back in Austin and Mexico: "I don't want to say the last three races were missed opportunities, but we definitely should have scored more points than we actually did," concluded the Spaniard.
He looks forward optimistically, hoping Ferrari can maximize the upgrades and improve their standings in the remaining six races of the season: "Maybe in Austin and Mexico, the car will be stronger, and we'll be able to score more points."
Sainz believes that, despite the challenges, Ferrari has the potential to finish the season on a strong note, setting a solid foundation for 2025.
The Spanish driver reflected in a media interview on the recent races, believing that several of the last tours were not ideal for his team, noting that they could and should have performed better. The experienced Ferrari driver is not happy with the last two weekends but is trying to remain optimistic, considering that F1 has often shown that things can change quickly. Sainz has no intention of looking at things negatively or giving up the fight for top positions, even though he will be leaving the team after this season. He chose not to direct criticism solely at the team but also decided to be critical of himself.
“I think in general, the last couple of races have been a bit of a wasted opportunity,” he said when asked by this writer about the outcome in Singapore.
And I’m not happy with how the things have gone on these last two weekends. At the same time, you never know what there’s around the corner, and we might be surprised with how we can perform in Austin, Mexico, Vegas and these tracks.
So I’m going to keep myself optimistic six races left in this long year, but yeah, going to work on my weaknesses, and put myself in a better position for the last six races.”- Sainy said, as quoted by adamcooperf1.
Carlos Sainz wants to improve
He elaborated on what he needs to improve by mentioning the importance of feeling more confident when approaching Turn 1 during qualifying. He put an accent on his recent performances haven't reflected the best strategy. He expressed hope that he could qualify higher, similar to how he was performing at the beginning of the year, as this would make the entire weekend much easier.
This great driver explained that, honestly, starting from the dirty side of the track, he managed to get off to a decent start. However, as he approached Turn 1, he noticed a Williams car making an aggressive move. Given the stakes in the championship, he had to take evasive action to avoid a potential collision.
This left him further back in the midfield, so they decided to take a bold strategy by pitting early to escape the crowded battle and gain an advantage, which worked out well.
While he felt compromised by the start, he was pleased with his ability to make some good overtakes and maintain a strong pace when it counted. General, he felt they navigated through the field well, noting that they avoided the issues that Checo faced by getting stuck.
The Spanish driver wants to do better in the coming period.
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