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Carlos Sainz Admits Ferrari Can’t Fix ‘Fundamental Issues’ in Qatar GP Struggles

Simon Monroy by Simon Monroy
December 1, 2024
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Carlos Sainz Admits Ferrari Can’t Fix ‘Fundamental Issues’ in Qatar GP Struggles

Formula One F1 - Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar - November 30, 2024 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. ahead of the sprint race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Carlos Sainz has laid bare Ferrari’s ongoing challenges after another tough outing at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix. Despite attempts to tweak the car’s setup and tire preparation, the Spaniard conceded that Ferrari’s “fundamental issues” remain unsolved, leaving the team off the pace of McLaren and Mercedes.


A Circuit That Exposes Weaknesses

The Lusail International Circuit’s high-speed corners were always going to be a challenge for Ferrari, a track configuration that highlights the Scuderia’s deficiencies in medium- and high-speed balance. Sainz and teammate Charles Leclerc both struggled throughout the weekend, with Ferrari unable to close the gap to their rivals.

“We definitely tried quite a few things, both on setup and tire preparation,” Sainz explained. “But when you lack three or four tenths in the medium-speed corners and minimum speeds, it’s not about small tweaks—it’s a fundamental issue.”


Setup Tweaks Fall Short

Ferrari hoped adjustments after the Sprint race would help mitigate their struggles, but Sainz revealed that even experimenting with different out-lap speeds, tire strategies, and balance settings couldn’t unlock more performance.

“It just seems like our balance, or overloading the car in these long, combined 5th/6th gear corners, doesn’t perform as well as it should,” he said. “We’ve tried everything possible, but there’s a hard limit to the lap time we can achieve.”

Leclerc, running a new floor, faced similar struggles, highlighting that the upgrades haven’t delivered the expected improvements.


Q3 Frustration: A Missed Opportunity

Sainz managed to qualify seventh, half a second adrift of pole-sitter George Russell and Max Verstappen. However, the Spaniard felt his position should have been higher, questioning Ferrari’s strategy in Q3. Sent out as the lead car, Sainz missed the chance to benefit from a tow, a common tactic that can gain valuable tenths on straights.

“I think I should have qualified P6 instead of P7,” Sainz lamented. “I went into the last lap of Q3 without a tow in front, which normally gives you a couple of tenths for free. I don’t know why we were leading the pack.”

Despite the frustration, Sainz acknowledged that he extracted everything possible from the car. “It was a good lap, more or less what the car could achieve. But maximizing everything, as I said, might not be enough.”


Looking Ahead: Ferrari’s Uphill Battle

Ferrari’s struggles in Qatar underline the team’s ongoing challenge to compete at the front. With only two races left in the season, Sainz admitted there’s little hope of finding quick fixes to the car’s inherent limitations.

As McLaren and Mercedes continue to set the pace, Ferrari’s focus may already be shifting to addressing these fundamental issues for 2025. For now, the Scuderia will aim to minimize the damage in the Constructors’ Championship and deliver competitive performances in Abu Dhabi to close out a tough season.


Conclusion: A Tough Weekend for the Scuderia

Carlos Sainz’s candid reflections highlight the harsh reality facing Ferrari in Qatar—a car that lacks the balance and speed to compete with its rivals. While the team continues to push for marginal gains, the structural deficiencies in their performance make it clear that significant changes will be needed to return to championship contention.

For Ferrari fans, the Qatar Grand Prix serves as a reminder of the challenges that remain, even as the team strives to maximize their results in the final races of 2024.

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