Sainz Believes Challenging Red Bull In 2024 Is 'Realistic'

Thursday, 07 December 2023 at 19:00

Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz expressed his "perfect confidence" over Ferrari's development progress concerning closing the gap to Red Bull Racing over the winter.

No F1 team was able to challenge Red Bull, the dominant Red Bull with Max Verstappen, in 2023. But Scuderia Ferrari was perhaps the team that came closest to doing so.

Carlos Sainz, along with Charles Leclerc, amassed nine podiums in total throughout this season. Ferrari was also the only team to snatch a victory from the team from Milton Keynes.

The Italian team made great progress throughout 2023, and even though it wasn't enough to get second place in the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari was the second team to score the most points in the second half of the season.

Read also

Wolffs' Investigation Update: All F1 Teams Deny Making Conflict Of Interest Complaints To FIA

While the team still lags behind the Red Bull, Sainz believes his team is capable of making significant enough progress to be competitive in 2024. As reported by motorsport.com, he said;

"It has to be our realistic aim. Will we manage to do it? Only time will tell. I want the team to be thinking that it is possible because I believe it is."

McLaren went from struggling at the back of the grid to regularly competing for the podium, and the Spanish driver takes it as a sign that these big steps forward in development are possible.

"Also, we've proven that if McLaren has been able to do these steps during the season, I'm perfectly confident that Ferrari can do it over a winter break. I trust this team. I trust the capacity that we have back at home to turn things around."

Ferrari showed an incredible qualifying pace on a few circuits already in 2023 which means there is potential in their car. The 29-year-old just suggests the SF24 will need to be more versatile.

"There are still circuits where we are on pole by 0.3s to the Red Bull. It's just that it's a very specific trait of the car that really is good. We just need to make it an all-rounder."