There could not be a worse track for Ferrari: the penultimate weekend of the championship takes F1 to a circuit that – on paper – condemns the SF-24 in many aspects. Carlos Sainz is aware of this and is preparing for a defensive GP.
In the desert of Qatar, Ferrari fears a meager points haul: the Losail circuit certainly doesn’t suit the characteristics of an SF-24, which struggles with fast corners.
Qatar is “the biggest challenge for Ferrari”
Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz’s attitude is far from optimistic. The Spaniard – on Thursday in Losail – appeared rather skeptical about the team’s chances of feeling comfortable among the fast corners of the Qatari circuit. “On paper, this is the biggest challenge since we introduced the latest updates to the car, which allowed us to make progress.”
Qatar nightmare: “There are only corners like that…”
The 30-year-old from Madrid recalls some bitter examples to support his argument. “Looking quickly at the last few races, we can remember the second sector in Mexico, the first sector in Austin, and Las Vegas… Everywhere we’ve faced sectors with fast corners, we’ve never been among the top four cars. We’ve never been fast.”
It’s not just the type of corners that discourages Carlos Sainz: “If we add the fact that the asphalt is smooth and cold, and considering that this track only has those types of corners, well, on paper, we should struggle…” – the Spanish driver pointed out.
Struggling on track doesn’t necessarily mean leaving Losail with an entirely negative result. Despite the pessimism ahead of the weekend, Carlos Sainz isn’t giving up the fight: “It’s one thing to struggle with performance, another to talk about how many points you can get. We need to maximize the result.”
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