Sainz Addresses 'Unbelievable' Performance Swings In 2023

Friday, 15 December 2023 at 07:00

Carlos Sainz reviewed Ferrari's performances looking back at the 2023 season, as he mentioned "unbelievable" swings in performance.

While Scuderia Ferrari finished only third in the Championship, Carlos Sainz said he believed his team was overall faster, only less consistent in delivering the results compared to Mercedes.

Qualifications tend to be great indicators of raw performance, and the Italian team had it mainly towards the end of the season as they scored a front-row start in all of the last five races in 2023.

Statistics speak in favor of Scuderia, as they were the second-best team in the second half of the season. Sainz believes his team has become better at maximizing the package they have. As quoted by motorsport.com, he said:

"I think we acknowledge the package we have and now we just put it on track and we try to maximise it every weekend. And I think we are doing a much better job of that."

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On the other hand, the Spanish driver shared he still has problems understanding Ferrari's oscillations in performance throughout various Grand Prix weekends this season.

For example, Ferrari challenged Red Bull for victory during the Italian Grand Prix and won the following Singapore Grand Prix, but in the next two races in Japan and Qatar, they were far off from Red Bull's, McLaren's, and Mercedes' pace.

"It's not easy because it's mentally challenging to understand how in Las Vegas you can out-qualify the Red Bull by three-tenths and fight for the win and then go to Brazil and be a second off the race pace."

While Ferrari couldn't perform as consistently as Red Bull or Mercedes in 2023, the Spaniard lately mentioned he believes the team can challenge for the Championship in 2024. He added:

"It's almost unbelievable that these swings in performance can happen. Now we need to focus on making sure we have more Vegases and Singapores next year."