Sainz Admits Ferrari Was Overall Quicker Than Mercedes, Just Less Consistent

Saturday, 02 December 2023 at 12:00

Carlos Sainz reflected on the battle against Mercedes for second place in the Constructors' Championship in 2023.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 team is a bit disappointed after the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as the team missed out on second place in the Constructors' Championship by a mere three points.

Carlos Sainz, in particular, had a tough end to the season as he finished sixth in Sao Paulo, sixth in Las Vegas, and 18th in Abu Dhabi. In relation to the Championship battle with Mercedes, he said:

"We had our moments where we were quicker, and Mercedes had their moments where they were quicker."

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Ferrari team suffered overall four retirements, two DNSs (did not start), and one disqualification throughout this season. Both DNSs were a result of technical issues and Ferrari lost crucial points that would put the team up into P2.

At the same time, Ferrari was the only team besides Red Bull that was able to win a race this season. Sainz admitted he thought the Italian team was quicker than Mercedes.

"Overall, maybe a bit of unreliability here and there. I think we were the quicker car but they were a little bit more consistent than us."

Ferrari seemed to have made significant progress, mainly towards the end of the season. Mercedes, on the other hand, started struggling in the end, seemingly not understanding their car. The Spaniard continued:

"Anyway, I think it’s a season where the team has made a lot of progress, we’ve learned a lot from this car, from these tires."

Charles Leclerc showed there is some decent pace in the Ferrari as he qualified in the top 2 during all of the last five races of the season. Sainz concluded:

"We finished the season a lot stronger than how we started, and it’s something we can bank for next year expecting, hopefully, a more competitive package."