Carlos Sainz ends the Ferrari program in pre-season testing – he will drive the SF-23 in the afternoon, and judging by the results on Friday, he is slightly faster than Charles Leclerc, his teammate. However, the driver himself, speaking to the Spanish press, suggested not to engage in such comparisons and not to attach much importance to the apparent difficulties the Scuderia appears to be facing.
Question: What can you say about the course of the tests? Are you concerned about the possible deterioration of rubber?
Carlos Sainz: No, because actually everything is going well. We do many different tests, try to make improvements where possible, check the operation of the machine with different settings.
Of course, I was able to understand a lot, the process of studying SF-23 continues, which pleases me. I hope we continue to make gradual progress.
Question From the outside it seems that you are better than a partner adapted to the new car …
Carlos Sainz: No, and I don’t find it comparable at all. Yesterday I drove in the morning, when the track was theoretically a bit slower, and it worked in the afternoon, when it not only got cooler, but the wind direction changed. In general, it is impossible to say for sure.
Q: Does the SF-23 suit your driving style better than last year’s car?
Carlos Sainz: I don’t know yet because I haven’t tested the limits of the car in qualifying mode and haven’t tried to squeeze everything out of it until the last tenth. Last year, at the start of the season, I was a tenth behind my partner, two at the most. It is clear that during the tests it is difficult to judge whether there is still reserve, and how much I can add.
I’m trying to prepare as best I can for the first race, because last year somehow I couldn’t train. By analyzing different settings, improving the driving style, I hope it will help me perform much better.
In the spring of 2022, at the first race, I wasn’t exactly sure what approach the car needed, what settings to prefer, so now my job in the tests is to find out exactly what I want to achieve in the process of finding the optimal balance and deciding on the style of management. Unfortunately, I failed to do it early last year – for some reason, which I’m not going to talk about.
Q: As always, is it difficult to draw conclusions on tests as all teams work according to their programs?
Carlos Sainz: There are always tasks that teams consider a priority. Further modernization of the machine depends on certain aspects and the teams pay special attention to them. But there are always other times when you want to find out, try something and understand what suits you best.
We try to analyze all this and take it into account when making plans for the future. These are the tasks that will be solved in the tests as we try to prepare for the first race of the season.
Question: Which of the opponents surprised you the most?
Carlos Sainz: It’s no secret that Red Bull looks very confident. Looks like they have a very fast car. They are already going faster than last year and if they take another step forward it will be hard to beat them. However, this is precisely our task – we must progress faster than our rivals.
Q: What can be said about Ferrari’s potential?
Carlos Sainz: Nothing special so far. The car is different from last year, but the changes are not too big. The build-up continues, but cars from all teams are subject to it to some degree. However, this also happens because we sometimes deliberately try to provoke a build-up.
It all depends on the tasks you solve. The FIA hopes that this problem will not return, but it is clear that teams can build up if they wish.
In general, I prefer not to jump to conclusions…
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
