Carlos Sainz Jnr was the only driver outside of Red Bull to win a Formula 1 grand prix this year, and says that win shows Ferrari are ready to take advantage of a more competitive car if they have one next year.
The team was less competitive as a whole over 2023 compared to the year before. Sainz scored 46 fewer points and finished two places lower in the championship than last year. Yet he rates his 2023 campaign as being an improvement.
“The first part of the year was difficult because I think we all expected more, and me included,” said Sainz. “I was a bit disappointed and surprised with the gap to Red Bull in some circuits, and the way that we could not really fight for the targets that we had set.”
“Then for the second half, it was clear for me and the team that it was a matter of maximising what we have, acknowledging the fact that there were going to be races where we were going to be fighting for poles, and maybe for a win, but there were going to be other tracks where we would have to settle for P5, P6, P7 because we were nearly a second off the pace in terms of race pace.
“Acknowledging that and adapting to that is what changed my mindset and [made me] realise that every weekend was going to be a bit different and it was just a matter of trying to be consistent, trying to bring points for the team and maximise what we have.”
Sainz says there had “been very little or few mistakes” after the summer break, and the results showed it as he took pole position and finished third at the Italian Grand Prix, then won in Singapore from pole.
That victory was the obvious highlight of his season, given how few opportunities to win races they had.
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“It’s not like we had many chances of winning a race this year,” said Sainz. “And the fact that it appeared in Singapore and we took it and we didn’t waste one single opportunity there. [To] maximise FP1, FP2, FP3, Q1, Q2, Q3 and the race was I think a huge accomplishment not only for me but also for the team. To prove to the team that when the opportunity arrives next year, we are able to win.
“We were under pressure that weekend because it meant that it was our only weekend maybe to fight for a win, in combination maybe with Vegas. But this we didn’t know at the time. And the fact that we maximised it, we performed, we didn’t fail under pressure and we put together that weekend I think…
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