Ferrari, Carlos Sainz looking ahead to 2024
The Belgian Grand Prix weekend could be another challenging one for Scuderia Ferrari, as the team tends to struggle with fast corners, a defining characteristic of the Ardennes circuit. However, Carlos Sainz is preparing for the battle at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot without setting specific result objectives. The Spanish driver believes the Maranello team’s goal is to maximize the car’s potential and learn as much as possible to present a more competitive package at the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Carlos Sainz’s words
During the press conference on Thursday in view of the next round of the championship, Carlos Sainz commented on the SF-23’s progress during the year:
“Certainly, we have developed since the beginning of the year, and the car has improved in terms of unpredictability. But in such a tight Formula 1, all the teams develop their projects, and if you don’t develop a lot, you will remain more or less in the same positions. I am convinced that we have made progress in understanding our weaknesses, but teams like McLaren and Mercedes are developing very strongly. Are we focusing on next year? No, because everything we learn with this year’s car will also help next year’s car, but in the company, they are definitely already working on the 2024 project. We have tested many elements of the 2024 car, not the entire car because it’s still in development, but certainly the aerodynamic and setup direction.” – the Spaniard pointed out.
Farewell to Laurent Mekies
The Spanish driver also commented on Laurent Mekies’ departure and the atmosphere within the Maranello team: “Obviously, Laurent has been a very important figure at Ferrari in recent years and has made a great contribution to the team. Honestly, I had an excellent relationship with him, and he was very proactive. I believe that we all appreciate him a lot, and probably that’s why he took on the role of team principal in another team: he was doing a good job for us, but the transition has already been made, and he was also very helpful in helping Diego Ioverno regain confidence in his old role,” he told journalists. “Can farewells change anything? I am 100% sure that the structure we have now works well for the development of next year’s car. It doesn’t seem light at all, and even if it were, I would prefer to have a lightweight structure this year when we are not fighting for top positions. I also feel that Fred is doing his best to strengthen the team, but the people we have also have very clear objectives in mind. The car has been well developed in the wind tunnel.”
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Maximizing potential
“I think we all expected the car to be more competitive, but we are all very close to the midfield. In some weekends, we can fight for victory, and in others, we end up in eighth position,” concluded #55. “In terms of performance, a tenth more or less doesn’t make much difference, but the results change quite a bit. Now we have to accept that this is the fight we are in: if one weekend we have to fight for fifth position because it’s the best we can achieve, we have to celebrate having done it. We need to focus on maximizing the car’s potential.” – the Spanish driver concluded ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
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