Sainz vs Leclerc: All Resolved
After the internal tensions that arose in Ferrari between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during the Spanish Grand Prix, it seems that peace has been made between the two drivers of the Rossa on the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix. A confirmation that came directly from the Spanish driver during the press conference at the Red Bull Ring, guaranteeing that for the team principal Frederic Vasseur there should be no particular concerns in the management of the drivers: “There hasn’t been one in four years and there shouldn’t be one now. – he has declared – there have always been scenarios together with 22 races a year, we share the same track every weekend and we always start next to each other. For me it’s good news for the team because it means that all the drivers are there, not like other teams that don’t have the same competitiveness between the two drivers, and this leads to situations like the one in Barcelona where we didn’t agree on certain things. We were two riders who always talked about solving these problems well, and it will always be like this“.
No rush for the future in F1
Having concluded the discussions with Leclerc, doubts regarding his future still remain alive for Sainz, even more so after the offer received fromAlpine which is added to those of Audi e Williams. For #55, however, the biggest mistake remains that of being betrayed by the rush to make a decision quickly: “Nothing changes, it’s just a question of having all the options in front of me to be able to sit down with my team at a different time than the current one with three consecutive races to make an important decision for my life – he specified – it’s taking a little longer because they are good options for me, and I want to make the right decision without rushing or without that feeling that, once I made the decision, maybe I should have waited to evaluate the other options more calmly. I want to give myself the time I need.”
Hopes for the Red Bull Ring
Limited to technical issues, however, Sainz also returned to the last test in his home race in Spain, which was particularly disappointing for Ferrari: “I think Barcelona is a difficult track for us, it has been in the past, and last year it was our worst track in terms of performance. – He admitted – I really hope we won’t be at that level here in Austria or at Silverstone. I think, or at least hope, that we will be closer here. I think the car should be a little more suited to this characteristic of the track. It wasn’t a nice surprise for the team and for us, because we expected to be at least closer to the pole position time, but it just shows us how we need to improve in these long, combined high-speed corners. We need to take a step forward as the year progresses, and we need to continue to improve in these areas.”
Ferrari’s weak points
As indicated by his teammate, Sainz also highlighted the difficulties experienced by the Ferrari SF-24 in high-speed corners, indicating them as a real Achilles’ heel: “I think it remains a weak point of the car, because I don’t really like the potential bounce we have in the corners. So, even if it doesn’t affect us in terms of cornering speed, we can still take a high-speed corner almost like a McLaren or a Red Bull, but I don’t like the effect that this bounce has on the tyre in a qualifying lap and in the race. I still think it’s a a potentially minor weakness compared to the combination of medium-low speedsbut which must still be addressed, given that we are in the third year of application of this regulation and we are still struggling with this small rebound”.
