'More Than Professional' Sainz Praised For Bahrain Podium After Ferrari Snub
F1Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 07:30
Carlos Sainz is facing a very weird situation in the 2024 F1 season, but according to his team principal, Frederic Vasseur, he approached it very professionally.
After Lewis Hamilton signed with Ferrari for the 2025 season, one thing became immediately clear, and that was the fact that Sainz wouldn't be driving for the team, as shortly before Hamilton, Charles Leclerc signed a contract extension.
Sainz is therefore facing a unique situation, driving for the team that he knows he will leave after that season, and team that chose a different driver than him, even though it is a seven-time World Champion.
Still, at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, the Spanish driver was one of the brightest moments of his team's performance, as he was also voted the driver of the day, thanks to his incredible driver and spectacular overtakes.
The result of that was a third place in the race, and after the first Grand Prix of the season, he was also praised by Ferrari's team principal, Fred Vassuer, who was not surprised by his professional approach.
"Honestly, I was convinced that he would have this kind of reaction. It’s also why we decided to do the announcement quite early to turn the page and to be focused on this season. The reaction of Carlos was more than professional that he said, ‘Okay, I have one year to go, I will do my best from the first corner to the last corner of the season.’"
According to the French team principal, the fact that Sainz would approach the situation professionally was never in doubt, and he was happy to see him deliver a solid drive.
"Today [in the race he] was very strong, very solid, he did a very good job, and I’m more than happy with the job that he did."
Although the team managed to get the podium, it still wasn't an ideal race for the team from Maranello, as one of their main rivals, Red Bull, got a one-two, showing that Ferrari still had a lot of work to do.
Pushed to assess the performance of the Austrian team, which is currently dealing with many internal issues, Vasseur stated that he's not focusing on the other teams but rather on his own work.
"First, I’m not focused on Red Bull, I’m focused on myself and to try to get the best from what we have.“It was not completely a clean sheet for us this weekend, we had too many small issues in quali and the race. Also, we have to consider that Jeddah will be a completely different story, it’s not the same layout, it’s not the same tarmac."
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