Carlos Sainz issues DIRE Ferrari points warning for Dutch Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz during the 2023 Australian Grand Prix weekend — Photo: © LAT Images

Ferrari

Sainz issues DIRE Ferrari points warning for Dutch Grand Prix

The Spanish driver believes the team is the sixth fastest in Zandvoort

Luis Raya

Sunday 27 August 2023 11:57

Carlos Sainz has stated that his sixth place in qualifying was above Ferrari's expectations at Zandvoort, insisting that he does not believe the team is strong enough to secure a spot in the top 10.

The Spaniard, who gave up his seat to Robert Shwartzman in FP1, could only drive in normal conditions during FP2 due to rain arriving at the circuit on Saturday. The wet track resulted in a tough qualifying session that shook up the grid in a close competition among the teams.

Sainz ultimately finished 6th in a chaotic qualifying session, while his team-mate Charles Leclerc could only manage 9th after suffering an accident in Q3.

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“We’ve been on the back foot from the beginning," Sainz told Sky Sports. "Also for me, missing FP1 and doing FP3 in the wet and having to do Q3 in the dry was definitely a challenge for me this weekend.

"I think we executed a good quali, and if you would have told me before quali – top six, I would have signed. I think we did a pretty good lap and pretty decent job".

Furthermore, the Spaniard believes that five teams are faster than Ferrari at Zandvoort.

Sainz finished 6th in qualifying, while Leclerc could only manage 9th after an accident

He added: “Honestly, the Williams, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, they’ve all been quicker than us this weekend. We just simply did less mistakes than them today and went through the sessions nicely.

"In terms of pure pace, they are faster. That puts us out of the top ten if nothing happens. Tomorrow we will try our best to hold on to that P6, or maybe do a good start. That also puts us even further up. Honestly this weekend has been a tough one."

Some optimism at Ferrari

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur remained optimistic, stating that up until the Q3 incident involving Leclerc, the team showcased promising pace throughout the weekend.

“It was a difficult session, for everybody, first because the conditions were extreme, Zandvoort is not an easy one, it’s coming after the break, and to have these kind of conditions in Zandvoort I think is the most tricky situation of the season," he said.

”Yesterday we were in a good shape, Friday, we were in a good shape with a very good deg [tyre degradation] and good pace, and now I think that tomorrow will be another story, that the track will be completely green and we’ll start from scratch, let’s see what happens.”

Vasseur believes that Ferrari's strong suit lies in qualifying, but noted that the team is putting in significant effort to improve their performance in races.

“I think that from the beginning of this season we are relatively in a good shape in quali, probably P2 behind red bull, and struggle a bit more in the race, at least compared to Mercedes. We put a lot of effort to try and compensate this and try and come back in the right space.”