Carlos Sainz had a strong 2023 season as he was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race. The Spaniard managed to break the Milton Keynes outfit’s win streak in Singapore despite Ferrari’s struggles the entire year. Sainz recently reflected on the same and expressed complete faith in Ferrari’s ability to repeat this feat consistently in 2024.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Sainz stated how the Marina Bay triumph affected Ferrari’s season positively. When asked about the same, he replied, “One hundred percent. It has to affect the year because it’s not like we had many chances of winning a race this year.”
The driver from Madrid then expanded upon how the Italian team maximized all opportunities that weekend. Sainz stated, “The fact that we maximized it, we performed, we didn’t fail under pressure and we put together that weekend, I think is a great showing that next year we’re capable of doing things if we get a good car.”
The 29-year-old driver started on pole position and looked great throughout the Singapore GP race. While he had challenges from George Russell and Lando Norris behind him, the Red Bull drivers were nowhere in the fight.
The Milton Keynes team had their worst weekend of 2023 at Marina Bay. The RB19 oddly struggled on the street circuit and the team were unable to figure out the ideal setup. Hence, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez failed to pose any sort of a challenge for the win.
A season of learning and growth at Ferrari for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
After a tumultuous 2022 season, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc started on the wrong foot in 2023. Ferrari struggled with reliability and tire wear again in the initial half of the season. However, Ferrari stepped up their development game to recover well through the year and finish P3 in the Constructors’ standings.
Multiple upgrades boosted the SF23 and ironed out some of the issues to some extent. Both Sainz and Leclerc maximized the car’s strengths, and eventually, their efforts paid off with the former winning in Singapore. However, team boss Frederic Vasseur has stated that the team wish to build on the positives to build a competitive car for 2024.
“If they can take a little bit from each other they both definitely stand a chance”
The Sky Sports F1 team discuss the Ferrari pairing of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and what the team need to improve in 2024 pic.twitter.com/sqIGNjGOSe
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 8, 2023
Both drivers have understood how their car is spectacular over a single lap but struggles in the long race stints. Sainz highlighted how they would like to work on their race pace and produce a car that is quick in every aspect.
While Ferrari look better placed for the upcoming season in terms of learning, they do have to figure out solutions to iron out their remaining issues for getting a championship-winning car. Sainz has cited that they hope to have more Singapore and Las Vegas-like weekends next year, highlighting his wish to fight for wins.
