Ferrari’s regret with Carlos Sainz
After the stunning victory in the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit in front of the Tifosi, Charles Leclerc unfortunately couldn’t repeat the magic from two weeks ago. Despite having an SF24 car that showed itself to be more competitive than the MCL-38 for large portions of the Baku race, the Monegasque driver could do nothing against an extraordinary Oscar Piastri.
The McLaren driver managed to secure his second career win, following his triumph in Budapest last July, fully putting himself back in the title race, considering the significant struggles of Max Verstappen, who finished fifth after an uneventful race lacking any standout moments.
There was also great disappointment for Carlos Sainz, who had mounted an impressive comeback in the final laps, only to be involved in an unfortunate collision with Sergio Perez at the exit of Turn 3 on the very last lap, which inevitably forced both drivers to retire.
In an interview with Sky Sport after the race, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur offered his analysis of the incident between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, which ended the race for the Spanish driver and led to important points lost for the Maranello team: “I think they approached the straight just behind Charles and both tried to stay in the slipstream.” – the French manager explained at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku – “It’s true that Checo had a lot of space on the left and didn’t move at all. I think it’s a shame to end the weekend like this.” – he added.
Despite losing fifteen points with Carlos Sainz’s retirement, the Frenchman still sees the glass half full, given Max Verstappen’s issues: “We’re gaining more points on Red Bull. We’re catching them in the Constructors’ Championship, and that’s important, but there’s still a sense of frustration, especially because of Carlos’ incident.” – the Ferrari team boss concluded.
Source: f1ingenerale
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