Carlos Sainz confident Ferrari will reduce Red Bull gap with upcoming SF-24 updates

Carlos Sainz spoke at the Ferrari hospitality during the media day of the Miami GP, explaining that he expects a better pace compared to China and clarifying his perspective on the on-track battle with Charles Leclerc.

Since last year, three GPs have been held in the United States. What is your view on Las Vegas, Miami, and Austin?
Personally, I’ve always been a big fan of Austin. I think it’s one of the best race weekends of the season. However, I also believe Miami has started off on the right foot and has become much better than it was in 2022. That year was a bit chaotic, but now it’s all improved. I think Las Vegas, on the other hand, needs improvement, although there is a lot of fan interest. The race times are quite complex for everyone, but I really like the track.

Are you back in shape after the surgery?
Yes, I am, and I have to be, otherwise, here in Miami, I would struggle a lot. It’s a complicated weekend with a lot of heat and humidity. I think I started to feel really fit last week. I went cycling in Monaco and saw that I was back to good parameters. I trained for four or five days, and the results were as good as before Jeddah. So I’m sure I’m at 100%.

Do you think the SF-24 will adapt well to this track? Will you be competitive against Red Bull?
I can say with some pride that I warned you before the GP that China would be a tough race for us. And so it was. So now I don’t want to ruin everything by saying something wrong. I am focused on getting a good result, but overall, I think we can do a little better. I believe we will be a bit closer to Red Bull compared to Shanghai, where we were losing about 5-6 tenths per lap. At the same time, I don’t expect a result similar to Australia. They introduced an update in Japan that made them faster. As for McLaren, if their updates work as they believe, there will be a tight fight.

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When will the updates arrive on the SF-24?
I can only tell you they will come soon. Hopefully, they will be a big step forward that will allow us to get closer to Red Bull.

Adrian Newey has left Red Bull, what do you think?
At the moment, it doesn’t concern me or my situation. I don’t know where he will go, and I don’t know what his plans are. We’ll see. I don’t know how important he was for Red Bull since I’m not part of that team. He certainly was an important figure for the team’s victories. But how much he influenced me is impossible to say. It’s definitely not a secret that he is one of the most appreciated engineers, if not the most appreciated.

In China, there was some dispute with Charles, and you didn’t seem entirely happy after the race. Have you discussed it with Fred Vasseur?
Now everything is clear. I think these are episodes that are part of the race. In China, there was a tough but fair battle. I think it’s the same with other drivers. For me, it was still a good race because that’s the way I like to race, and I’ll continue like this in the future.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari