Ferrari Car 'Behaving Differently' On Simulator According To Sainz

Friday, 15 December 2023 at 21:00

Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz suggested it is challenging to estimate the pace of their car based on simulations as it behaves differently in the real world.

Looking at the significant steps forward of teams like McLaren and Aston Martin, Carlos Sainz stated he believes it is possible for Ferrari to challenge for the Championship title in 2024.

However, the Italian team faces a great challenge as the Red Bull Racing team ended the season still far ahead of everybody and had a headstart in the development of the 2024 car.

Moreover, Sainz shared it is hard for him and his team to estimate their real step forward in performance as their simulation data do not completely translate into the real world. As reported by motorsport.com, he said:

"I think we're going to need to wait until testing. I think it's incredibly difficult to know. The car in the simulator is behaving differently, for sure."

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Mercedes faced a similar issue at the beginning of 2022 when their car behaved completely differently on track than they expected. Sainz continued:

"But I think until we put the car in 100 kilos [race fuel] and used tires, it's going to be impossible to see how the car is actually treating the tires, treating the pace, and how our race pace is going to be affected."

Pre-season testing is scheduled to take place on 21-23 February at Bahrain International Circuit. That is the main deadline for all the teams and fans to look forward to.

In Bahrain, we will see the first hints of which team actually has the pace to compete for the title in the 2024 season. The Ferrari driver added:

"That we will only know in Bahrain [testing] when we put it on track. In the meantime, we can just focus on adding performance to that car in the wind tunnel and trying to make it better."