2023-06-15 23:28:39
Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz believes Max Verstappen makes less mistakes than other drivers due to the dominant nature of Red Bull Racing’s 2023 F1 car.
Having easily won both championships last season, Red Bull Racing has maintained a commanding advantage over the rest of the F1 field this year, winning all seven races so far.
After a record 15 wins in the season last year, Verstappen has already topped the podium five times in 2023 and looks set to easily clinch a third consecutive drivers’ title.
But Sainz, Verstappen’s former Toro Rosso team-mate, insists Ferrari can still catch Red Bull this season and put the pressure on Verstappen to make possible mistakes.
“You don’t have to be a genius to know that Red Bull is going to be very difficult to catch this season, but that doesn’t mean Ferrari can’t be caught,” Sainz told AS.
“We will try and it doesn’t mean we can’t win the race. We will do our best to win.”
“It’s hard to force Max to make a mistake against a Red Bull team that is so overwhelming and there is no pressure.”
Ferrari, which started the newest era of regulation with a strong start, has not won a single race since July last year and is sluggish to 4th place in the ranking this season.
The SF-23 is trouble-prone and exhibits unpredictable behavior. Ferrari are struggling to translate a promising qualifying result into points on Sunday.
Sainz acknowledged that Ferrari is not in the situation it envisioned at the beginning of the year, but stressed that the whole team is doing everything in its power to improve its current predicament.
“Sportingly, it’s been a mixed year,” Sainz explained. “Still, I can’t complain, I’m doing well.”
“Formula 1 is always relative, the car made by Red Bull is one of the most dominant and Mercedes seems to have found the right direction.”
“At Ferrari, we are not where we wanted to be. We are focused on getting the most out of it.”
Ferrari’s race day woes continued in Barcelona, despite the introduction of a significant upgrade package aimed at increasing speed over long stints.
Sainz secured a front row position at his home Grand Prix, while Leclerc was eliminated in Q1.
However, Sainz suffered tire degradation and was easily passed by the Mercedes duo and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, dropping him three places to fifth.
With Leclerc out of the top 10 and a double podium for Mercedes, Ferrari are already 53 points behind in the battle for second place.
Category: F1 / Carlos Sainz Jr. / scuderia ferrari / red bull racing / Max Verstappen
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