Carlos Sainz Jr, piloting for Ferrari, expressed caution about the team’s chances of replicating their competitiveness in Australia until significant updates are made to their 2024 Formula 1 car. Ferrari had shown promise in the first two stages of the championship, with Sainz and Charles Leclerc securing third places. This momentum continued at the Australian Grand Prix, where Ferrari posed a serious challenge to Red Bull. Despite Max Verstappen’s pole position, he retired early due to a brake issue, allowing Sainz to lead a Ferrari one-two. However, Sainz acknowledges that achieving more victories may be difficult until substantial developments are implemented.
Sainz stated: “Our car performed exceptionally well this weekend. However, maintaining this level of performance at all tracks will be a challenge until we close the gap we observed in Bahrain and Jeddah with an update. Nevertheless, from the outset in Australia, it felt like a car capable of winning races. Even though Red Bull was also fast and secured pole position, their time in qualifying was within our reach. There will be circuits where we will stand out, as we did last year. Furthermore, this year our race pace seems to be better, even on tracks where we traditionally struggled. With a strong development program, I hope we can challenge Red Bull more frequently.”
Sergio Perez, from Red Bull, had suggested that even with Verstappen in a fully functional car, Ferrari would be unbeatable. Sainz believes that Ferrari’s impressive practice times and Red Bull’s race difficulties indicate that he could have fought for the win anyway. He explained: “I felt like I could keep up with him on the first lap and try to take advantage of the DRS, as it is particularly effective here. Then, on the second lap, he lost control of the car at Turn 3, giving me an opportunity to get closer and try to overtake. Once he was behind me, he seemed to be struggling with the brakes, which ultimately ended his race. It’s a shame, because I think we would have had a great battle for the lead today. However, I am happy to secure the win. He has already had many victories.”
Ferrari plans to introduce a significant package of updates at the beginning of the European season in Imola. However, there are rumors that they may accelerate these plans and bring some parts for the next Grand Prix in Japan at Suzuka.
