Sainz Suggests His Performance Isn't Very Different From Previous Years

Wednesday, 10 April 2024 at 07:30

Carlos Sainz suggested his current performances are not that different from last year's, but he only has a car that allows him to "shine a bit more."

Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz achieved three podiums in three races this season. In all three, he outperformed his teammate Charles Leclerc.

The 29-year-old is on the shortlist of all F1 teams as he is one of the best drivers on the grid at the moment, but he still has no contract for 2025. He told told Sky Sports F1:

"I have no clue where I will be next year. It's true we're talking to many teams. I just need to keep focused on what I'm doing, prove to myself and everyone that when I'm given a fast car, I maximise what I'm given and I deliver."

Ferrari has made a significant step forward from last year, maybe even the biggest out of all the teams on the grid. This allowed the team to get closer to Red Bull and create a gap between them and their nearest rivals from last year.

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"It's been a strong start to the season. With this car you can shine a bit more. With last year's car, I did performances similar to this year but you couldn't shine."

While Sainz suggests his performance is similar, he has never had such a strong start to the season (in terms of results) before in his career.

The 29-year-old explained why he couldn't show the same kind of results last year. The 2023 car was much more qualifying-oriented, with high tire degradations during the race.

This meant that Ferrari drivers could outqualify almost everyone, even Red Bull sometimes, but then struggled to keep their positions, which made their performances during races look worse.

"It was a much more difficult car to drive, a lot more degradation and you were looking backwards in the race. This year you are looking forwards and are overtaking, which allows you to shine a bit more. It helps but I will keep pushing."