How will Ferrari perform in Belgium? Carlos Sainz’s expectations leave no doubt. Carlos Sainz was asked about his expectations regarding Ferrari's performance in Belgium.

A fourth and sixth place are Scuderia Ferrari’s haul after the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend at the Hungaroring circuit, bringing a slight breath of fresh air in a difficult time. Spa-Francorchamps is a track that will severely test the prancing horse’s car, which has shown to struggle in fast corners with the updates introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. However, Carlos Sainz’s expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix reveal a certain Ferrari optimism ahead of the weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The characteristics of the two tracks are at opposite ends: slow and high downforce in Hungary, fast and low downforce in Belgium. The speeds are extremely high, and the sequence of corners and changes of direction can severely test both the mechanics and the aerodynamics of the Ferrari SF-24.

With the arrival of an updated floor in Budapest, Ferrari has raised the threshold for bouncing, improving drivability in high-speed corners. However, adding just the aerodynamic specification is not enough, and time will be needed to further improve performance. To further raise the onset of bouncing, Ferrari will debut a new rear wing.

Carlos Sainz: slight optimism shows through

A comprehensive package should help Ferrari on the 7 km of track, which includes long and fast corners along with slow sections where mechanical traction is needed.

Asked about his expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, Carlos Sainz replied: “A completely different circuit from the Hungarian one. I think Hungary is closer, for example, to Barcelona in terms of downforce and cornering speed. But, yes, I think now we’re going back a bit more to a circuit similar to Silverstone.” – the Spanish driver pointed out.

“The last time we were at Silverstone, we struggled as a team. So, yes, I am encouraged to see the progress in Hungary, or rather, we were a bit faster in Hungary, especially in the race. But let’s see how we are at Spa, and if we can continue to try to get closer to them, I would now call them the top two teams, not because it is clearer that McLaren and Red Bull, when they turn it on, have three or four-tenths of an advantage over us.” – the Ferrari driver concluded ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Source: f1ingenerale