Sainz believes that the core issue with Ferrari’s latest set of Formula 1 upgrades is the bouncing effect. This problem needs to be resolved before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Ferrari introduced a significant upgrade package at the Spanish GP, but it did not provide the necessary speed to compete at the front. However, at the Austrian GP, Sainz was able to secure a third-place finish after Norris and Verstappen encountered a collision. Despite this, Ferrari still finds itself slightly behind Red Bull and McLaren in terms of competitiveness. Sainz attributes this to the bouncing problem, which he has addressed over team radio during recent races. He firmly believes that bouncing significantly hampers performance. The resurgence of this issue on the current Ferrari car is a cause for concern, as it was largely eliminated during the previous ground effect rule cycle. Sainz emphasized the importance of quickly identifying and resolving the issues with the recent upgrades, as McLaren and Mercedes continue to make progress. Understanding whether the team has taken a step in the right direction with these upgrades is crucial for future development and is now the team’s top priority.
“We acknowledge and understand that since the Barcelona race, our level of competitiveness has declined compared to before. This has raised concerns about our overall performance, and we are committed to thoroughly analyzing all factors involved. However, it is important to recognize that our competitors are also making significant progress during this time.”
Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s teammate at Ferrari in Formula 1, attributed the team’s issues to the specific set-up of the car, which has revealed certain limitations within the package. The driver from Monaco expressed that the team has been facing difficulties in finding the optimal set-up window.
“Nevertheless, we have gained valuable insights from the previous race. We have experimented with different configurations and setups for both cars, which I believe will contribute to our learning process and enable us to address these challenges starting from this weekend,” Leclerc stated.
“I have mentioned on several occasions that the expected improvements from the upgrade are present. The upgrade is functioning as intended. However, the key lies in how we exploit the car’s capabilities to maximize those improvements. Currently, we have yet to fully achieve that, so our focus remains on resolving this matter.”
