Ferrari returns home with a sixth-place finish that cannot leave Brazil with a smile. After Charles Leclerc’s problem during the formation lap, Carlos Sainz was left to defend the Maranello team’s colors, but the Spaniard immediately lost two positions at the start, reporting issues with the clutch. From that point on, the Ferrari driver tried to race against Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, but he was never really in a position to make a concrete passing attempt. The 8-second gap from the Canadian at the checkered flag did not surprise Carlos Sainz, who expected such difficulties in São Paulo.
It was not a memorable day for Ferrari, which returned to Maranello with only a sixth-place finish, which, of course, cannot bring a smile, especially considering Charles Leclerc’s problem during the formation lap, which eventually led to his retirement. The only positive aspect is that their most direct rival, Mercedes, encountered even more significant difficulties, losing crucial points in the constructors’ championship against the Cavallino’s stable.
Carlos Sainz’s final sixth-place finish did not excite, but his starting position in eighth place already suggested a challenging race for the Spaniard. To complicate matters further, there were some issues with the clutch, which Carlos Sainz had already complained about before the Brazilian race. In this case, the Ferrari driver’s frustration was evident immediately after the start when he asked the engineers to thoroughly check the unit once they returned to Maranello to prevent the problem from reoccurring in the future.
In the initial start, Carlos Sainz immediately lost positions to both George Russell and Sergio Perez, falling to eighth place. Even after the restart following the red flag, the Spaniard did not make a brilliant move. However, at least, he managed to maintain his eighth place, trying to target Lance Stroll. With the leading pack staying close together in the early laps due to the DRS train formed by Lewis Hamilton, positions remained relatively stable. However, the Ferrari driver believed he had the potential for a better pace than the Aston Martin.
During the pit stop phase, the British team immediately covered a potential undercut attempt by Ferrari, bringing Stroll into the pits. This allowed Carlos Sainz to run a few laps in clear air to extend the first stint as much as possible. However, the extra time on the soft tires pushed the Spaniard behind Esteban Ocon, with a gap to Stroll that had meanwhile increased to almost five seconds.
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After overtaking the two struggling Mercedes, who had difficulty managing their tires, as was evident during the sprint race, the Ferrari driver tried to get back closer, anticipating the second pit stop, in which another set of soft tires was mounted. This move brought him to about a second and a half behind Stroll. However, once again, Stroll managed to extend the gap to eight seconds at the checkered flag.
“I think it was a completed race where we deserved to finish. Aston was a bit faster than us, somewhat like what happened in Zandvoort. On a circuit with longer corners, more tire degradation, Aston seems to have regained some pace. McLaren and Red Bull are in a different league. Perhaps with better starts, we could have fought with Stroll, but we had an issue with the clutch all weekend in the starts,” explained Carlos Sainz, emphasizing how the SF-23, from his perspective, struggles on a certain type of corners.
As often happens, in qualifying, the Ferrari manages to be more incisive, covering some of its weaknesses with a softer tire that provides more grip. But when it comes to tire management over the long distance, the limitations become apparent. “When I saw this track, I thought that this year’s car wouldn’t be easy. In qualifying, we managed to be somewhat fast in Q1 and Q2, and then in the race, over 71 laps, with this type of corners, the tires and balance, it’s difficult for us. It reminded me a bit of Zandvoort with this kind of corners, where Alpine did well, and just like in the Netherlands, Aston Martin made it to the podium. With Charles’s retirement, we lost an opportunity to gain points on Mercedes, but the reality is that this week we weren’t fast,” added the Spaniard.
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