Carlos Sainz warns Ferrari: "This package isn't optimized for Monaco"

It was a tough weekend for Carlos Sainz at the Imola circuit, finishing fourth in qualifying thanks to Oscar Piastri’s penalty, and fifth in a race where he was never really a contender for the podium and at the same time was not helped by the strategy chosen by the Maranello pit wall.

Carlos Sainz sounds the alarm the after a disappointing Imola race
The Spaniard was the last of the leading group of drivers to make a pit stop in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, emerging several seconds behind the Australian McLaren driver and never managing to close the gap to the finish line.

Interviewed after the Imola race, Carlos Sainz analyzed what happened and the reason for the underwhelming performance: “Today we were lacking some pace. I’m not very happy because yesterday after qualifying we saw something in the car that might not have worked as we expected.” – the Spaniard pointed out.

“Certainly, today there wasn’t much pace, and holding the position against Oscar would have been difficult. The problem is that extending the stint didn’t give us anything, because I could only extend it by three laps due to the pressure from George Russell who was undercutting us. From that point on, honestly, I’m not happy because it was a very difficult weekend for me.” – the Ferrari driver explained – “We had some problems, so today was a bit about damage limitation. Honestly, I’m not happy. Throughout the weekend we were a bit behind, always at least a couple of tenths off, and that’s not ideal. That said, we take the fifth position in a race where not much happened.” – Carlos Sainz continued.

Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!

The Spaniard also highlighted some issues he faced during the race: “There were some problems that limited us throughout the race. It’s something we need to analyze, but obviously, I can’t go into too much detail.”

Despite this, the Ferrari driver congratulated his Maranello teammate, Charles Leclerc, for making the podium in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: “Charles showed good pace; we managed to fight in the race. In qualifying, we need to understand what we are missing and improve. There will be tracks where nothing can be done with strategies and overtakes, as we saw today.”

Finally, he made a concerning prediction about the next event in Monaco: “Next weekend is all about qualifying again. This package isn’t optimized for Monaco. We need to look at the details of what didn’t work.” Still, the Spaniard hopes to redeem the lackluster performance in Imola at the principality: “Monaco is such a unique track that any of the top four cars can win with a good qualifying lap. That’s what we will be aiming for. It will be a great moment in Q3 because I hope we will all be very close, and it will be an exciting qualifying session.” – Carlos Sainz concluded at the end of the Imola race.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari