The past is represented by the disagreement in last weekend’s Barcelona race with Charles Leclerc, the present is a car arriving in Spielberg with several questions, and the future involves negotiations with Williams, Alpine, and Audi.
Carlos Sainz addressed all topics ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, starting with the ‘Barcelona’ case. “If there had been a team order, I would have been the first to respect it – the Spaniard began – you saw in the race that when I was asked to let Charles through, I did. I have always respected every single order given to me, and if I made a move (the overtaking of Charles Leclerc on the second lap of the race), it was because there was no clear instruction to hold position. However, we can sit down and discuss whether it was the right move at that moment, but beyond that, I will not comment further.”
For Carlos Sainz, Ferrari benefits from having two drivers who are very close in performance. “In other teams, it’s not like this – Carlos emphasized – it’s obvious that Charles and I often find ourselves sharing the same piece of asphalt, and this has been happening for three and a half seasons. I believe our relationship has always been, and still is, one of mutual respect.”
The message is clear: there is nothing between the two Scuderia drivers beyond what can be defined as ordinary administration, at least for now.
Carlos Sainz then analyzed the SF-24’s problems, highlighting how, in his view, long fast corners are a significant weakness of the design.
“In my case, I think high speed remains a weak point of the car – the Spaniard continued – because I’m not a big fan of the bouncing we experience in that particular situation. Bouncing is not good for the tires, so even if it has little impact in high-speed corners performance-wise, I don’t like the effect bouncing has on the tires. I still think this is a weak point that needs to be addressed since we are in the third season with this technical regulation and we are still struggling with this small bouncing.” – he pointed out.
Carlos Sainz did not want to add many details, but he implied that in fast sections, bouncing causes tire overheating, which then affects performance in subsequent corners: “It’s just my opinion, but that’s how I see it.” The Spaniard also has clear ideas on what went wrong in Barcelona, and his analysis seems somewhat contrary to the team’s stance: “I don’t think it was a setup problem since it has been the same since the start of the season; basically, we are driving the car in a very similar way. Since the beginning of the championship, we have only improved it by adding more aerodynamic load, but our rivals are also updating their cars, so it’s not us taking a step back but rather the opponents doing a great job.” – he added.
Regarding the future. Typically, negotiations progress by narrowing down options, but in Carlos Sainz’s case, what seemed like a contest between Williams and Audi now includes Alpine.
“My team and I have imposed on ourselves not to be influenced by performance swings from race to race. The goal is to focus solely on the project, the feelings that come from talking to each team, and, of course, reading the contractual proposals. It’s not easy because the competitive spirit makes you look at who’s fastest, but I don’t believe the last race of each team is representative of where those teams will be in the next two seasons.”
In closing, Carlos Sainz took a jab at the Formula 1 system, or rather, many team representatives who, according to him, do not keep their word:
“The situation I found myself in this year has taught me a lot about Formula 1. Talking to many teams, I realized how tough this sport is and how little you should believe what you’re told at the beginning of negotiations. I also understood that you can trust very few people in the paddock because it’s a very political, very tough sport, but I don’t want to go into too much detail. Apart from that, I have studied a lot about the teams I might move to next year.” – the Ferrari driver concluded ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
