Carlos Sainz points out “Ferrari have improved by half a second at Suzuka in 6 months”. Carlos Sainz sees the positive side after Suzuka qualifying.

Is the glass half full or half empty for Scuderia Ferrari? After the one-two finish two weeks ago at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, the Maranello team arrived at the Suzuka circuit hoping to confirm its competitiveness on one of the most technical tracks on the 2024 Formula One calendar. While Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz showed very encouraging pace in the race simulations during practice, the same cannot be said for the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix, where the Spanish driver finished fourth and the Monegasque only eighth.

Carlos Sainz sees the positive side after qualifying
In 2023, Carlos Sainz started from the sixth slot on the grid, with a time 0.973 seconds slower than Max Verstappen. In 2024, the Spaniard will start fourth, with a time 0.483 seconds behind the Dutch champion. This is the analysis of the Ferrari driver: “We already knew that Suzuka would be a Red Bull circuit. Last year, they left me trailing by a second, and now it’s down to half a second. It means we’ve improved by half a second in six months: a great step forward for Ferrari.” – the Spanish driver pointed out.

Carlos Sainz then continued, in his post-qualifying interview for Spanish media outlet As: “Red Bull is still far ahead on circuits like this, much like in Bahrain. They excel on rough asphalt. We are making progress, but on these types of tracks, McLaren and Red Bull currently outpace us. Personally, I’ve been working on the setup in Bahrain, finding things that are helping me in the fast corners.” – the Ferrari man concluded.

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