Sainz Hopeful Ferrari Could Challenge Red Bull After 'Good Upgrade'

Saturday, 13 April 2024 at 12:00

Carlos Sainz admitted Ferrari is not close enough to Red Bull to challenge the Austrian team right now but hopes to change it with the next upgrade.

At the start of the 2024 season, Ferrari made it clear that their current car is only the base version and that we can expect big upgrades later on.

Team principal Fred Vasseur said his team was able to build a great platform with significant upside potential. According to the latest rumors, we can expect to see a 2.0 version of SF-24 during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola Circuit in Italy.

In one of his most recent interviews, Sainz recently suggested that Red Bull was expected to have the upper hand during the first third of the season.

However, he hopes to fight with the team from Milton Keynes more consistently after introducing upgrades. He said:

"We exactly improved the car in the places that we wanted to improve it, and Suzuka proves it. Still, places like Suzuka, we are not as quick as the Red Bull, which is the target, but as soon as we bring a good upgrade to the car that goes in the right direction, hopefully it can get us closer."

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There are two races between now and the race at Imola, the seventh round of the season. Ferrari is second in the Constructors' Championship, 21 points behind Red Bull.

The Italian team has so far completely maximized what they could, and both of their drivers always finished right behind Red Bull or ahead (except for Suadi Arabia, where Ollie Bearman replaced Sainz).

If Scuderia could maintain their consistency and the upgrade brought the desired effect to their performance, they might pose a real threat to Red Bull.

The 29-year-old driver knows it is his last year with the Italian team and is dedicated to making the most of it, as shown in the first four rounds of the season.