Ferrari’s woes continue with the restart of the 2023 season. During the three practice sessions in Zandvoort, Charles Leclerc brought them their best finish with a P9 in FP3. Carlos Sainz failed to break into the top 10, with his best finish coming at P12. After yet another disappointing start to the weekend, Carlos Sainz believes there is no hope for Ferrari at Zandvoort, per the reports by Formula Passion.
After showing some positive signs in 2022, Ferrari has declined heavily in terms of performance this season. They have finished on the podium just thrice this season, and have not shown any signs of improvement. Given their struggles in Zandvoort so far, the team looks to be heading further down the pecking order once the Dutch GP gets done.
According to Sainz, the reason behind Ferrari’s lack of performance in the Netherlands lies in the track and not in the car.
Carlos Sainz says Circuit Zandvoort is not meant for the SF-23
None of the three Ferrari drivers who tackled Circuit Zandvoort in the SF-23 managed to register a convincing result. Talking about their performances in the practice sessions, Sainz asserted the track did not suit their car even though the Spaniard found his groove during FP2.
“I got into the rhythm easily even if it is true that we seem to be struggling quite a lot in terms of pace as well as the car balance . This track seems to fit us little so far this weekend but we will work to make solid progress for tomorrow.”
With Ferrari struggling, their rivals in Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin fared much better in the Netherlands. All the teams put in strong performances, with each FP session dishing out different results. However, the only consistent result from these teams was that each of their drivers featured in the top five (if not top three) at least once.
Ferrari might drop even more points at the Dutch GP
Zandvoort sports a tricky track setup for the likes of Ferrari, with just one straight and plenty of corners. A further two banked corners with some elevation changes make for a tougher ask from the car. As such, the SF-23 is facing struggles with its aerodynamics, a problem that has haunted them throughout the season.
FP1 is now over. Here’s how everyone’s standing 👇🏼
🔵 VER – expected fastest lap
🟢 ALO & ⚫️ HAM 2nd and 3rd 0.3 to 1st
👀 We’ve got the Williams 5th & 7th
🟠 McLaren 6 and 8
Ferrari had a weak FP, with LEC on 16 and SHW on 19#DutchGP pic.twitter.com/t1Bnu3QWwL— David | APEX Bite (@apex_bite) August 25, 2023
On the other hand, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and McLaren have worked tirelessly throughout the season to improve their cars’ aero, and the results have been evident. All three teams showed great performances throughout the practice sessions, featuring a stable car that might fetch them good points during the main race.
With continued struggles, the Ferrari cars might have a battle at their hands in the middle of the grid. Sainz and Leclerc might be looking at single-point ranks when the feature race begins on Sunday.
