Carlos Sainz Questions Competition: "Costing Us The Race"
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz's race at the Bahrain Grand Prix didn't quite go as planned, with the Spaniard failing to secure a podium finish.
Sainz admitted that Ferrari's current reality is not ideal, with the SF23 struggling on the same tyres that were problematic last year.
According to GP Blog, Sainz explained:
"We just push in the race, as you saw in my battle with Fernando it nearly cost me a position to Lewis because as soon as we push on these tyres we go backwards and start degrading. Clearly our biggest point of weakness."
In addition, during long runs, Ferrari struggled to match the pace of Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin. Sainz highlighted that both teams seem to have figured out something about the tyres that Ferrari has yet to fully understand.
"Clearly Aston and Red Bull are doing something to the tyres that we don't fully understand because it's costing us in the race."
While Sainz missed out on a podium, his compatriot Fernando Alonso secured third place. According to Sainz, the pace difference between the two drivers was huge, with Alonso finishing 10 seconds ahead of him. This gap highlights the work that Ferrari still needs to do to improve their pace.
Despite the disappointing result in Bahrain, Sainz remains optimistic about the team's prospects in the upcoming race in Jeddah.
"I believe we can be more competitive in the Jeddah race, the tarmac allows you to push more. There's less degradation."
Sainz also believes that the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull Racing will be slightly reduced in the upcoming race. While Red Bull was almost a second a lap faster than Ferrari in Bahrain, the Jeddah track could level the playing field somewhat.