F1, Ferrari: Carlos Sainz hopes Las Vegas GP will offer new opportunity to challenge Red Bull

F1, Ferrari: Carlos Sainz hopes Las Vegas GP will offer new opportunity to challenge Red Bull. Carlos Sainz hopes Ferrari can challenge Red Bull in Las Vegas GP.

Challenging Behind Red Bull
This weekend in Losail, Qatar, Max Verstappen will almost certainly be crowned Formula 1 world champion for the third time in his career. The Dutchman is just three points away from becoming unreachable for his teammate Sergio Perez, and these points are very likely to come from the Saturday Sprint race. However, behind the two Red Bull cars, the 2023 Formula 1 season is more alive than ever, and one of the drivers currently riding the wave is Carlos Sainz. The Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver has already made history in 2023 by winning in Singapore, which remains the only non-Red Bull victory of the season so far.

Carlos Sainz’s hope, however, would be to repeat that feat before the end of the championship. Achieving it won’t be easy, given the total dominance demonstrated by the Red Bull RB19 car on almost all tracks. The only weak point of the impressive single-seater designed by Adrian Newey seems to be city circuits, as evidenced by some difficulties faced in Baku and Monaco, before the knockout in Marina Bay. Among the six remaining tracks on the calendar, the one that, according to Carlos Sainz, could offer a little more hope to Ferrari fans is the most anticipated of all: Las Vegas.

Dreaming of Las Vegas
The one built in the gambling capital is not a “classic” city circuit, but the Spaniard is convinced that the novelty factor can shake things up a bit compared to other better-known tracks with more “conventional” layouts. “The big unknown is Las Vegas because we will have to see what type of circuit it will be,” he stated in a conversation with AS organized by sponsor Estrella Galicia with the major Spanish media. “For the rest of the tracks, based on what we saw last year, I can say that we might struggle in Mexico or, on the contrary, we might do better in Austin. But I think it will be tough for us in Qatar.” – he pointed out.

Of course, aside from the pursuit of a second victory this season, Carlos Sainz and Ferrari have other objectives. The possibility of a top-3 finish in the drivers’ standings seems challenging. The Spaniard said, “I would need both Hamilton and Fernando to have many non-scoring races. I don’t think two world champions will have many non-scoring races.” Carlos Sainz’s focus is on the second place in the Constructors’ Championship: “Finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship is the goal, especially since we have gained many points on Mercedes. Personally, I want to achieve positive results. Keep it up, get the most out of the car, and if the opportunity for a podium or victory presents itself, be there.” – the Ferrari man concluded.